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Simply beautiful Cat ...

You can feel it in every note he plays"

QUINCY JONES

"He's a monster on the piano!  And, one of the greatest people I know"

CLARK TERRY

"His playing is filled with beauty, especially his spirit and spirituality."

MULGREW MILLER

"Take a journey into the mind of a truly unique artist and sonic storyteller"

DERRICK HODGE

Justin Kauflin at piano.  Photo by John Toomey

MUSICIAN BIO

Kauflin, deeply kind and humbled by the praise and caliber of musicians in his orbit is -- as he puts it -- 'just a simple guy'  -DownBeat Magazine

Justin Kauflin is an award-winning “jazz pianist who favors a clarity of touch and ideas...his writing is balanced tempering post-bop intricacies with the assurances of the gospel church -New York Times.  As leader, player, composer, and producer, Justin Kauflin has released 10 recordings to date and collaborated on 30+ albums.  In 2015, Justin had the incredible honor of performing on Oscar Peterson's personal Bosendorfer for Oscar, with Love, along with 16 world-class pianists and performing with the Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet in Canada a decade later.  In 2024 Justin released his first vinyl live recording, "Justin Kauflin Trio Live at Sam First." 

 

For 10 years, Justin has worked and toured under the management of Quincy Jones and Quincy Jones Productions. In addition to performing with his own trio or solo, Kauflin has worked with The Clark Terry Quintet, The Clayton Brothers Quintet, Katie Thiroux Trio, Brian McCarthy Nonet, Songevity, Jae Sinnett Trio, multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, duo pianos with John Toomey, Jeremy Siskind, Robi Botos, Alfredo Rodriguez, bassists Thomas Fonnesbaek, Derrick Hodge, Chris Funn, Dave Robaire, Chris Smith, Evan Gregor, Phil Kuehn, Michael Hawkins, Mike Downes, Rob Duguay, Matt Hall, Jimmy Masters, Chris Brydge, saxophonists Roxy Coss, Tim Green, Stantawn Kendrick, Steve Wilson, Brian McCarthy, James 'Saxsmo' Gates, Ken Peplowski, Eddie Williams, Jeff Smith, guitarists Chico Pinheiro, Matt Stevens, Alan Parker, Ulf Wakenius, Etan Haziza, drummers Jimmy MacBride, Billy Williams, Corey Fonville, Christian Euman, Mark Ferber, Cornelia Nilsson, Jim Doxas, Al Hicks, Nadav Snir-Zelniker, and vocalists Sahra Da Silva, Paul Marinaro, Liz Brydge, Sheila Jordan,  Rene Marie, Christie Dashiell.  Having performed at jazz festivals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Rep. of Georgia, France, Austria, Poland, Croatia, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, UK, Italy, Latvia, and Switzerland, Kauflin often incorporated workshops for students.  

 

During the pandemic, Justin adapted by producing live-streamed concerts and "Hangs," Wednesday Nights, Sunday Hymns & Things,  Christmas Marathons and JK's Playground on his YouTube channel.  In addition, he composed original soundtracks for several impactful documentaries including Reflection: A Walk with Water  with multi-Grammy winner, Jacob Collier, My Sister Liv, the trailer for Quincy Jones' book 12 Notes on Life and Creativity and Nespresso ads. He contributed to the Nickelodeon movie Blue's Big City Adventure and the documentary Full Circle scored by Emmy-nominated Mark Crawford (The Social Dilemma).  Justin is featured in, as well as composed the film score for, the Academy Award short-listed documentary, Keep On Keepin' On, which honors his mentor, the late legendary jazz trumpet/flugelhorn player, Clark Terry, directed and produced by the award-winning team of Alan Hicks, Paula Dupre Pesman, and Quincy Jones.

Through the Keep On Keepin' On Jazz Outreach, Justin promotes jazz education with screenings, Q&A sessions, jazz workshops and student jams, culminating in a concert.  He has been an adjunct faculty member/adjudicator for the Monterey Jazz Festival, Centrum Port Townsend Jazz, Vail Jazz Workshop, Lionel Hampton Jazz and Notre Dame Jazz, Jazz Maui with John Clayton and Katie Thiroux, and has served as a Jazz Ambassador with the U.S. State Department in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Latvia and the Rep. of Georgia.  Since 2022, he has been on the jazz faculty at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Virginia, where he fosters young talent, and curates GSA Jazz Nights which features prominent regional jazz musicians, at no cost.  Justin continues to tour and is a Yamaha Artist.

Justin Kauflin & Clark Terry on Keep On Keepin' On movie poster

KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON JAZZ OUTREACH

"There are some guys who are vicious, uptight and evil -- and, they SOUND vicious, uptight and evil!" -Clark Terry​

"If you think you're having a rough day or can't escape whatever hole life has dug for you, Kauflin's worldview should give you a little perspective... his ringtone is "Don't Worry, Be Happy" for God's sake"  -RogerEbert.com 

KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON is the award-winning documentary that pays tribute to the extraordinary life of legendary jazz trumpeter and mentor, Clark Terry. Share "CT's" inspiring messages within your community, school, or jazz festival, and allow the essence of jazz education to thrive.

Join us for:

- Informative education screenings and insightful Q&A sessions

- Comprehensive jazz masterclasses and workshops

- Student jam sessions

- A solo or trio concert by Justin Kauflin

Justin Kauflin & Chris Smith DR jazz workshop.  Photo by Adam Hart

CLINIC TESTIMONIALS

“....It was clear from the start that Justin had goals to accomplish within the session, offering performance and dialogue that he believed would be most effective with university-aged students, and he targeted perfectly ... They made our band room seem like the center of the jazz universe" -A. Garcia, Director of VCU Jazz

"Justin is a natural teacher with his honesty, sensitivity, temperament and ability to inspire.  They appreciated the thoughtful comments and practical advice and felt so inspired after the clinic!"  -L. Barnes, GSA Director of Jazz Studies

"Trinity students often have the benefit of witnessing music-making at the highest level by visiting professional musicians like Kauflin.  It's valuable that students get to interact with the artists so that they realize they are regular people.  An artist like Justin, who is only a few years older than the students, has a particular resonance" -Trinity Episcopal IB Music

Justin performing at The Library of Congress, while petting Candy.  Photo by Amanda Reynolds

ADVOCACY

"Being blind is only a part of who we are ... it should never be something that defines us"  -jk

Justin Kauflin became completely blind by age 11 due to proliferative exudative retinopathy. With support from Virginia Beach public schools and the DBVI, he excelled academically, graduating summa cum laude while mastering braille and mobility skills.  At William Paterson University, he accessed brailled music scores through the National Library Service and used technology like Dancing Dots and Sibelius for composition. A Kennedy Center VSA award recipient he advocates for disability awareness and has performed as a Jazz Ambassador in Tbilisi, Georgia. The ADA improved independent travel and dining experiences, while advancements in assistive technology, including Native Instrument's Komplete Kontrol, have enhanced creative opportunities for visually impaired musicians and producers.

ABOUT JK

KOKO OUTREACH

ACCESSIBILITY

Accessibility Statement for Justin Kauflin Music

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. Justin Kauflin Music is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AA. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard.

This statement was created on 26 March 2025 using the W3C Accessibility Statement Generator Tool.

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CONTACT

MANAGEMENT:  Thomas Duport, Early Hour Entertainment

FOR ALL INQUIRIES:  Email Justin Kauflin

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