Origin Canada Name Mimi Blais Genres Ragtime | Occupation(s) Musician, comedian Role Composer | |
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Albums Old rags new rags, Sunday morning, Silence Similar People Larisa Migachyov, Sue Keller, John William Boone, Stephanie Trick, John Arpin | ||
a musical massacre mimi blais performing
Mimi Blais is a French Canadian pianist, composer, comedian and educator 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."
Contents
Mimi Blais - Scott Joplin Medley
Early life and career
Blais started playing the piano at age 7 and gave her first concert at the age of 9. She studied at the Quebec 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.
Recording career
She has recorded eleven albums of piano music by varied composers, including Scott Joplin, Tom Turpin, Eubie Blake, Zez Confrey, Jean-Baptiste Lafreniere, Andre 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 Andre 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), Silence (2008) and Interlude (2015).
Theatrical style
Blais loves the theatrical, and often uses costumes 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 Lafreniere."
Blais has said that ragtime is the most important music in America. "Ragtime is the trunk of a big tree!"
Songs
Bowery Buck
Musical Massacre
Remember "The Sting"
The Entertainer
April Fool Rag
Heliotrope Bouquet
On My Way Back to Montreal - I Got the Blues for Memphis Blues
Tres moutarde
Victo
Marche nationale
Sonnet en la mineur
Rhapsody Rag
Romantic Rag
Kitten on the keys
The Balti Todolo
The creeks of Missouri
The last of the ragtime pioneers
The pippin
Buffalo rag
National
Maple Leaf "Ragadeus"
Dizzy "Bumblebee" Fingers
S'von
Harlem rag
The chevy chase "Eubie"Blake
Pork and beans
Tricky Fingers
When the work is done - I'll dance
Novelette
Snow on Kamouraska
Mimi - ma biche
Chalumeau