Mimi Blais
Encyclopedia
Mimi Blais is a French Canadian
pianist
, composer
, and comedian
with a special interest in ragtime
music and witty showmanship
. She has been called the "Female Victor Borge
," the "Celine Dion
of the Keyboard," and the "French Canadian Liberace
," but she is most proud to be thought of as the "Queen of Ragtime."
at the age of 9. She studied at the Québec Conservatory of Music and at McGill University
, but she quickly broadened her interests to include folk
, jazz
, modern
, blues
, tango
, and ragtime. She has played ragtime concerts across Canada
, the United States
, and worldwide.
, Tom Turpin
, Eubie Blake
, Zez Confrey
, Jean-Baptiste Lafrenière, André Gagnon
, Cecil Macklin, Joseph Lamb
, George Gershwin
, Dave Brubeck
, Claude Debussy
, and herself. These albums include: Ragtime (1992), Geraldine (1993), Taxi (1998), Old Rags - New Rags (2000), Made in Quebec (2002, with participation of violinist Sophie Rivard), Sunday Morning (2004), Mimi Blais Plays André Gagnon (ADISQ-2004), Once Upon a Rag Time (ADISQ-2005, with participation of pianist John Petley), Life Is A Dream (2006), which features classical music
and some of Mimi's newest compositions (non-ragtime) and Silence (2008).
In 2005-06, Mimi received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts for research
on Canadian ragtime; a music folio
and CDs are expected to result from that research.
s to present or invent characters, making her piano concerts more visual and animated. Sometimes, when she steps out on stage, the audience may not even be sure that it’s actually her.
Blais has written two one-woman shows where she demonstrates her talents: "Once Upon A Time, Ragtime," which shows the importance of ragtime music in the evolution of the American culture, and "An Afternoon With Jean-Baptiste Lafrenière."
Blais has said that ragtime is the most important music in America. "Ragtime is the trunk of a big tree!"
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
with a special interest in ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
music and witty showmanship
Showmanship (performing)
Showmanship, concerning artistic performing such as in Theatre, is the skill of performing in such a manner that will appeal to an audience or aid in conveying the performance's essential theme or message....
. She has been called the "Female Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
," the "Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
of the Keyboard," and the "French Canadian Liberace
Liberace
Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned...
," but she is most proud to be thought of as the "Queen of Ragtime."
Early life and career
Blais started playing the piano at age 7 and gave her first concertConcert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
at the age of 9. She studied at the Québec Conservatory of Music and at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, but she quickly broadened her interests to include folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, modern
Modern music
Modern music may refer to:* 20th-century music* 20th-century classical music* 21st-century classical music* Contemporary classical music* Modernism * Modern rock* Popular music...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
, and ragtime. She has played ragtime concerts across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and worldwide.
Recording career
She has recorded ten albums of piano music by varied composers, including Scott JoplinScott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
, Tom Turpin
Tom Turpin
Thomas Million John Turpin was an African-American composer of ragtime music.Tom Turpin was born in Savannah, Georgia, a son of John L. Turpin and Lulu Waters Turpin. In his early twenties he opened a saloon in St...
, Eubie Blake
Eubie Blake
James Hubert Blake was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, Blake and long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans...
, Zez Confrey
Zez Confrey
Edward Elzear "Zez" Confrey was an American composer and performer of piano music. His most noted works were "Kitten on the Keys," and "Dizzy Fingers."-Life and career:...
, Jean-Baptiste Lafrenière, André Gagnon
André Gagnon
André Gagnon, OC is a Canadian musician and composer. He shifted from a classical musical style to an adult contemporary style in the mid-1970s with albums such as Neiges....
, Cecil Macklin, Joseph Lamb
Joseph Lamb
Joseph Francis Lamb was a noted American composer of ragtime music. Lamb, of Irish descent, was the only non-African American of the "Big Three" composers of classical ragtime, the other two being Scott Joplin and James Scott.-Life and Career:Lamb was born in Montclair, New Jersey...
, George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
, Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
, Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
, and herself. These albums include: Ragtime (1992), Geraldine (1993), Taxi (1998), Old Rags - New Rags (2000), Made in Quebec (2002, with participation of violinist Sophie Rivard), Sunday Morning (2004), Mimi Blais Plays André Gagnon (ADISQ-2004), Once Upon a Rag Time (ADISQ-2005, with participation of pianist John Petley), Life Is A Dream (2006), which features classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and some of Mimi's newest compositions (non-ragtime) and Silence (2008).
In 2005-06, Mimi received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts for research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
on Canadian ragtime; a music folio
Folio
Folio may refer to:* Folio , a book size* A particular edition of a book printed on folio pages, such as the First Folio of William Shakespeare's plays* A leaf of a book: see Recto and verso* Folio , a sans-serif typeface...
and CDs are expected to result from that research.
Theatrical style
Blais loves the theatrical, and often uses costumeCostume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
s to present or invent characters, making her piano concerts more visual and animated. Sometimes, when she steps out on stage, the audience may not even be sure that it’s actually her.
Blais has written two one-woman shows where she demonstrates her talents: "Once Upon A Time, Ragtime," which shows the importance of ragtime music in the evolution of the American culture, and "An Afternoon With Jean-Baptiste Lafrenière."
Blais has said that ragtime is the most important music in America. "Ragtime is the trunk of a big tree!"