PIANIST DROUIN REMEMBERED
Jazz icon was ‘quite amazing’
Most of Saskatoon will remember Maurice Drouin as a piano-playing jazz music icon. Daughter Lisa Drouin-gardiner will remember him as a man “born to be a granddad.”
“Those kids adored them ... he never missed a sporting event, he never missed dancing,” she said. “He was their biggest fan.”
Drouin, who died Feb. 16 at the age of 82, was known for being fun-loving and energetic.
Drouin- Gardiner and several of his musical colleagues said the loss came as a shock.
Drouin grew up in Timmins, Ont. before moving to Saskatoon in 1980. He started playing piano at the age of 10 and never stopped throughout his lifetime.
In a recent profile for Bridges, the Saskatoon Starphoenix’s weekly magazine, Drouin said his music was a “gift” he never took for granted.
“I can’t brag about it; I’m just lucky,” he said. “Music, you’re born with it. Just like anything else. I feel we all have gifts. Find your gift, and work your gift.”
As a beloved family man and musician in Saskatoon, Drouin is remembered fondly by friends, family, and colleagues:
“He was really one of a kind. He just really had a real spark ... a real enthusiasm. The last time I played with him was back in November, and he was really proud of how many gigs he had booked ... It was really quite amazing, the energy he had.”
— Sheldon Corbett, saxophone player
“I think the word would be ‘generous,’ and I think of that in terms of what I know about how he shared his time with other musicians, and specifically that he has mentored several singers — that was part of his generosity, that he wanted to bring people into the joy of musical performance ... there was this magical combination that Maurice had, of his natural talent for the swing in the music combined with his natural ability to make a connection with the audience, and we’ve lost that.”
— Grant Currie, jazz musician
“I think quintessential Maurice would be his ability to just connect with people, music-related or not, and make them feel like they had a connection with him ... I know Maurice would want each and every one of the musicians that he’s worked with, he’d want to say thank you to all of them for sharing their time with him, however brief it may have been.”
— Tatrina Tai, singer
“Forget the music business and just think of his family, think of his kids, having that remembrance of being up onstage with grandpa (at his concert at the Bassment in December). That’s one of the ways they’ll remember him, and that’s pretty amazing.”
— Don Griffith, piano player and owner of the Bassment “What I would like is for everyone to keep his legacy going. Pay forward his kindness, remember him ... I would like to keep his spirit alive by keeping his sense of humour alive, and (encouraging) people to take the time to connect with others.”
— Lisa Drouin-gardiner, daughter
“Maurice would be a lifelong musical friend and partner in crime for music, because he and Bobby Klassen and myself played many, many, many events ... he commanded loyalty. I know people who would come to watch us would be the same people, and it wasn’t that they’d never heard him play that song before. They were there to hear Maurice, and see Maurice. And that’s a hallmark of a real entertainer, is that people want to see you.”
— Barrie Redford, trumpet player
A celebration of Drouin’s life is ■ scheduled for Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Mcclure United Church.