Maurice El Médioni

Maurice El Médioni grew up in Algeria, in the Mediterranean port of Oran where he lived with his family in the Jewish quarter in the 1930s. Médioni´s life took a drastic turn when his brother purchased an old piano at the flea market and brought it home. Within days, Maurice, nine years old, taught himself, without the guidance of a teacher, to play popular French songs he had heard on the radio.

As the influences in his life changed so did his musical style. When Algeria was liberated from the Vichy French government in 1942, Maurice was playing the piano for the American troops at the US Forces Red Cross Bar in Oran. With Maurice´s permission, the soldiers used his piano to play the popular jazz and boogie-woogie numbers. By observing the dancing fingers of the soldiers he quickly learned to play these musical styles and incorporated them into his unique style. To meet the requests of the soldiers, he picked up boogie-woogie and Latin numbers. Later, befriending three rai singers from Algeria, he was brought into the Andalous music culture, where he introduced the piano into rai music. Maurice gained popularity in his area and soon became the respected pianist for "l´Opéra" in Oran, joining talented musicians from many different parts of North Africa as well as other Jewish artists like Lillie Boniche and Lili Labassi.

In 1962, after 8 years of civil war, Algeria gained independence from France and most Algerian Jews, including Maurice and his family, were forced into exile: "Life was good in Algeria, but when we left, we had to live hand to mouth. It's very tough to be driven from your country when you don't want to leave. It's not like being an emigrant searching for a better life."

After his many years at the top of the music scene in his homeland, Maurice adapted quickly and again reached stardom in Paris, where he remained for many years. Later, the unique musical style of Maurice was recognized internationally and his career skyrocketed as demand grew. Today, at the ripe age of 77, he resides in Marseilles. He still charms the ears of onlookers, using his left hand to form the eclectic sounds of Boogie, Jazz and Cuban rhythms and his right hand shaping his unique "Oriental" style.—Courtesy Calabash Music