Maurie Fabrikant

Australian piano player based in Melbourne Victoria. Maurie studied classical piano as a youngster but after hearing recordings of musicians such as Louis Armstrong, "Jelly Roll" Morton, Sydney Bechet and Australia's Graeme Bell, he concentrated exclusively on early Jazz. He continued to thrill audiences at Australia's Festivals and Conventions every year until his passing in 2012.. In addition to his own jazz band, "Maurie's Jolly Rollers", Fabrikant played in the "Hot Peppers Jazz Band" and the "Balled Eagles", among others. He toured New Zealand with the "Hot Peppers" in 2003 and sat with any group in need of a pianist at any festival. Every jazz musician in Australia either knew him or played with him at some time. He was respected for his skill and enjoyed for his joie de vivre. A connoisseur of Australian wines, he organised an annual wine-tasting tour of the wineries of the Rutherglen district, and hosted a Sunday evening open house barbecue where friends, former students, musicians and the occasional politician would be fed and entertained. He was always providing accommodation for visiting jazz musicians from other states at his home.