Quebec Scene

Edgar Bori

Edgar Bori launched his career in 1991, forming the duo Bori with Yvon Bilodeau. They were soon joined by Stéphan Côté, Pierre Potvin and Louis Gagné; the quintet assembled a repertoire and self-produced a first album, Vire et valse la vie (1995). After the first pressing sold out, the disc was re-released on the Passeport label, sparking a new live show, Vous attendez Bori, staged in 1996. The following year the group won the Mirror Prize at the Festival d'été de Québec and released a second album, Edgar Bori, featuring some 20 musicians including Mario Légaré (Michel Rivard’s bass player) and Lhasa de Sela.

The group spent the summer of 1999 at the Manoir du lac Delage, a resort and convention centre near Quebec City, reworking the show and adding some new members. Now comprising 12 musicians plus 2 giant puppets from the Théâtre sans fil, the band gave two more series of shows before breaking up.

Since then, Edgar Bori has been touring with a stripped-down performance that puts the emphasis on vocals and lyrics. In a career spanning over 15 years and numerous albums, this talented and elusive artist has never shown his face: he appears onstage as a silhouette behind a screen or concealed beneath a broad-brimmed hat.

Source: Radio-Canada Espace Musique (www.radio-canada.ca/radio2/artistes/214.shtml) (transl.)

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