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Justin Kauflin, furrowed brow, eyes closed.  Scene from Keep On Keepin' On

"Simply beautiful Cat ... 

you can feel it in every note he plays"

 

Quincy Jones

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.   After losing his sight at the age of 11, Kauflin gravitated towards playing jazz piano, despite having a background in classical violin & piano.  He studied with Liz Barnes (Governor's School for the Arts) and John Toomey (Old Dominion University) and was performing jazz professionally by age 14, most notably with the Jae Sinnett Trio.  In 2008, he graduated summa cum laude from William Paterson University, NJ where he studied with his heroes, Mulgrew Miller and Harold Mabern, as well as being mentored by and performing with the legendary trumpet/flugelhorn player, Clark Terry (2010 Grammy winner for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz).

 

As leader, player, composer and producer, Justin Kauflin has released 10 recordings to date and has collaborated on 30+ albums as sideman. 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 for Kelly Peterson and Mack Avenue Records.  March 2023 marked Justin's debut live-recorded vinyl, "Justin Kauflin Trio Live at Sam First" by Sam First Records.

 

Justin Kauflin scored, and is featured in, the Oscar shortlisted documentary "Keep On Keepin' On,directed by fellow musician, friend and award-winning director Al Hicks and Oscar and Grammy winning composer, Dave Grusin.  During the 5-year process, Justin was picked up for management by Quincy Jones and performed as a solo artist on his World Tours.  The Justin Kauflin Trio went on to perform worldwide, as well as conduct jazz workshops, from 2015-2020.  During the pandemic shutdown, Justin focused on film scoring and sound design, completing projects for full-length documentaries, commercials and trailers.  

Justin shares Clark Terry's passion for jazz education through the Keep On Keepin' On Jazz Outreach which includes a screening of the documentary, Q&A, student workshops, student jam sessions and concerts.  As a U.S. Department of State Jazz Ambassador Justin gives workshops & concerts worldwide.  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 with John Clayton and Jazz Maui with Katie Thiroux.  Currently, Justin is on faculty and initiating "Jazz Nights" at the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA (Instrumental Music - Jazz). 

 

Justin Kauflin is dedicated to creating and sharing music that excites, energizes and nourishes the soul in multiple genres & media.  He is signed for management by impresario and music icon, Quincy Jones and is a Yamaha Artist.

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Keep On Keepin' On

Jazz Education Outreach

Justin Kauflin and Clark Terry on Keep On Keepin' On poster

Shot over the course of 5 years, KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON was one of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of 2014, landing on the short list for an Academy Award by first-time director, Al Hicks.

The Film depicts the friendship of music legend and teacher Clark Terry, 89 and Justin Kauflin, a 23-year­-old, blind piano prodigy.  Kauflin, who suffers from debilitating stage fright, is invited to compete in an elite Jazz competition, just as Terry’s health takes a turn for the worse. As the clock ticks, we see two friends confront the toughest challenges of their lives.

Terry was also Quincy Jones’ first teacher, and mentor to Miles Davis. He is among the few performers ever to have played in both Count Basie’s and Duke Ellington’s bands. In the ‘60s Terry broke the color barrier as the first African-American staff musician at NBC – on "The Tonight Show."

One of Clark Terry's greatest passions was jazz education.  In the spirit of Clark, the team of KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON is committed to sharing his positive messages through education screenings, jazz masterclasses and workshops, student jam sessions and Justin Kauflin solo or trio concert. 

"These two men, 70 years apart, inspired each other, and that inspiration can be infectious."

 

"Kauflin's story is one that falls into what I like to call the 'perspective documentary genre.' If you think you’re having a rough day or can’t escape from whatever hole life has dug for you, Kauflin’s worldview should give you a little perspective. He simply never lets his situation get him down (at least on film). His ringtone is 'Don’t Worry, Be Happy' for God’s sake."  -RogerEbert.com

Jazz Clinic Testimonials

".... It was clear from the start that Justin had goals to accomplish within the session, offering performance and dialogue that he blieved would be most effective with university-age students;  and he targeted perfectly ... they made our band room seem like the center of the jazz universe for those 90 minutes" -Antonio Garcia, Director VCU Jazz

"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 Program

"Justin did a fabulous job with the students and I couldn't have been more pleased with the Master Class!  He 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"

-Liz Barnes, Director Governor's School for the Arts

To bring the film and workshops to your community, please contact Early Hour or Justin Kauflin

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​"Being blind is only a part of who we are ...

it should never be something that defines us"  -jk

Justin Kauflin was born with a condition that affected both eyes called proliferative exudative retinopathy, rendering him totally blind by age 11. 

 

In his transition from 'low-vision' to total blindness, Justin received adaptive services provided by the Virginia Beach public school system.  From elementary through high school, itinerant vision teachers enabled his attendance alongside his sighted peers in classes ranging from Japanese to AP Physics as well as 3 forms of Braille (literary, math and music), O & M (orientation & mobility) skills with the white cane, and vocational rehabilitation provided by the  DBVI (VA Dept. for the Blind and Vision Impaired).

 

The NJ Commission for the Blind provided a few days of O&M to navigate the campus of William Paterson University.  Throughout his years there, the National Library Service of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC sent brailled classical music scores upon request, free of charge.  Justin utilized Dancing Dots and Avid Sibelius to write and score music for assignments and provide charts to his Trio.  

Programs such as the Kennedy Center VSA advocates disability awareness around the world, and continues to promote artists with disabilities.  They, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State, sent Justin as a Jazz Ambassador to share his experiences as well as perform for Jazz Week in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. 

 

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) enables travel by providing assistance between airport gates, ADA-abiding car services, allowances for a PCA (Personal Care Assistant), and most recently, the Hampton Roads Para Transit service to and from work.  The ADA also opened the door to restaurant- and movie-going with braille menus, allowances for guide dogs, and DVS (Descriptive Video Services).  And, at The Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ, Justin was matched and trained for a month 24/7 with Candy, his sweet guide dog for an incredible 12 years. 

Advancements in assistive technology has allowed vision-impaired/blind individuals to be on slightly more even ground with their sighted colleagues.  The Apple iPhone has built-in accessibility features such as screen readers, voice-to-text capabilities and GPS, which are extremely useful, if not life-saving!  Recent tech innovations, specifically with Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol allows Justin to finally utilize software he has owned for over a decade, launching a whole new world to explore producing sound designs, film scores and music to professional standards.

Justin Kauflin's production studio
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