Pianist and performer of Arabo-Andalusian and Raï music, Maurice El Medioni was born in Oran, Algeria, on October 18, 1928. Nephew of the musician Saoud l'Oranais, who ran a café-concert in Oran, he taught himself to play the piano. He was introduced to jazz and boogie-woogie when American soldiers settled in Oran during the Second World War. He pursued his career as a concert musician alongside his work as a tailor. In 1961, he moved to Israel before migrating to Marseille, France, where he still lives. Maurice El Médioni has a wide and varied repertoire, from klezmer to raï, from jazz to Puerto Rican music. His discography consists of relatively few albums considering the longevity of his career, Pianoriental recorded in 1982, released in 2000, Café Oran (1996), Samai Andalou (2000), Descarga Oriental (2006) with Roberto Rodriguez and the double live Oran-Oran (2013) recorded in 2012 at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme in Paris.
