Another year is coming to a close and it's time for a quick look at the year that was...

 

It was a good year for: Jay Sean. The Brit musician made his mark on the international music scene, collaborating with biggies Lil' Wayne and Sean Paul among others. I'd say it was a dream run but that's only based on 2009 right? 2010 may just present a whole new range of accomplishments for this talented musician. Take a bow, Jay! 

 

Music fests: The Small World Music Society celebrated its tenth anniversary with some outstanding performances and musicians from around the world. The Dhoad Gypsies made an appearance in Toronto and brought colour a life to a cold, miserable February. 

 

Bollywood on the red carpet: Slumdog Millionaire made a splash at major film awards and A R Rahman picked up awards to bolster his reputation as a musician par excellence. The cast and crew (and almost anyone associated with the film) will be living it up till kingdom comes... and justifiably so. M.I.A's undeniable talent also led to an interesting collaboration with Jay Z, Lil' Wayne, Kanye West and T.I. 

 

Props to...: the DesiFest crew for organizing another great year of South Asian music for Toronto and beyond. The names are getting bigger, the sounds are getting louder and I can't wait to see who they rope in for 2010... You have suggestions? Drop a line to the gang at their website. 

 

Not to be missed...: Ghazal fans were delighted when Jagjit Singh performed at Roy Thompson earlier this year. Ditto goes for Kailash Kher fans who were in for a treat to catch the pint-sized musician at his very best. Kailasa, the group, performed together and I can only hope they perform again to packed halls! 

 

Big. Bigger. Biggest: U2 and Coldplay were here in Toronto at sold-out concerts along with a host of other big names. Jay Z's performance was a hit in the city as was Lil' Wayne's sold out performances. Think you missed on some big names? Think again. 2010 has some big acts in store and headlining in January are Guns and Roses.... 

 

R.I.P: Michael Jackson. The sudden and shocking demise of this legend was simply heartbreaking for millions of fans around the world. His comeback tour was sold out and expectations were high till this tragedy occured. Mysterious circumstances around his death fuelled public interest on this case and it made headlines for weeks. Nevertheless, the King of Pop is no more. 

 

Have feet, will dance: Shiamak Davar continued to rule the roost when it comes to Indo-Western dancing with more classes opening around the country. Throw in a clothing line with a leading sports brand and Mr. Davar is in the league of a few with dedicated clothing lines... 

 

Classical musings: In this area, our city is brimming with talent. Dance exponents Janak Khendry, Menaka Thakkar are few of the names who bring joy to many connoisseurs.   

 

New talent: Anuj Rastogi's new presentation Darth Veda left a definite impression and he got more people interested in the New Age/Electronica genre. Vandana Vishwas' new album was a thoroughly refreshing take on light classical music and I hope we have more opportunities to listen to her over the new year.

 

So what's in store for us in 2010? Check out my next blog entry to find out more... See you in the New Year! :)