"Keep on Keepin On" is a documentary that beautifully depicts the relationship between iconic trumpet player Clark Terry, and his protégé, aspiring 26 year old pianist Justin Kauflin. In an interesting parallel, Kauflin went blind at a young age, and aging Terry ("CT") is in the process of losing his sight from diabetes. What comes through in the movie is the kinship between the two men, as well as with other members of the jazz community, as they pass along wisdom through the generations. It turns out that the first "student" that Clark Terry ever had in his long career was a young wet behind the ears trumpet player named Quincy Jones. Kauflin and Terry develop a father-son type of bond, as we watch Terry struggle with health problems, and Kauflin attempt to establish himself as a successful jazz pianist.
The one problem I had with the documentary, was that we learn much more about Justin the person than we do about Justin the musician. While obviously he is a highly gifted musician, there was so little footage of Kauflin performing on stage (or with a group), I left the film without any real sense of his strengths as a jazz musician. For example, is a composer? Is he a future bandleader who makes everyone around him better? Is his forte that of reworking the classics? I frankly have no idea. As an example, there may have been many trumpeters who could play faster, or cleaner than a young Miles Davis. But none of them could have produced "Kind of Blue" or "Sketches of Spain". The documentary told me that Justin Kauflin is a great person, but who is he as a musician?
