Keep on Keepin' On

This journey of friendship, regardless of your interest in or love of music, was a story which grabs your soul and swells your being with strength and sheer appreciation of life. These two incredibly gifted musicians were so aptly portrayed as selfless humanitarians who bring to the audience an intimate insight into their lives, intertwined with the exceptional musical talents they both so modestly reveal. Hard to conceive modesty emanating from someone who played with Count Basie and Duke Ellington, and taught the likes of Quincy Jones and Miles Davis, but Clark Terry is just such a man. His latest student, Justin Kauflin, is an inspiration himself, despite his blindness, showcasing the excellence of his gifts as a pianist, guided by the exceptional musical teachings and life lessons from "CT". Their synchronicity shines; You cannot leave the theatre without tears, smiles and the education gleaned from the strength of positive thinking and faith in humanity.

The film tells the story of blind piano prodigy, Justin Kauflin, who suffers terrible stage fright, finds his way to jazz legend and teacher Clark Terry who's battling illness. Not only will this movie take you through time and space with great archives and quotes from legends such as Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones who produced the film, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis but you'll, in my case, discover the life of Clark Terry, who is known to be the greatest trumpet player of all time and one of the greatest human beings in the world of jazz. At 94 years old, he's still teaching and transmitting to a generation of young jazz musicians his passion and dedication to excellence. It's not everyday your soul is fed by such incredible humanity, humility and musical talent.

This is an extraordinary movie. It is a documentary about Clark Terry (CT) a well respected jazz musician. Who until this documentary, I hadn't heard of. I would describe this documentary as a love story of his music students about their teacher, Clark Terry (CT).

I learned in this documentary that Clark Terry is about 93 years old. He's well respected in his field. He has played in many jazz bands from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, the Tonight Show Bands, etc. He's received many accolades over the years. Both Quincy Jones and Miles Davis call Clark Terry their first mentor. He's a musician's musician. But Mr. CT is also a teacher and has taught for decades thousands of students. The document shows you how he teaches one of his students Justin Kauflin a 23 year old who happens to be blind. The entire story is uplifting and inspirational.

Not only is it a great story, the archive film footage is exceptional and rare. Whether you like jazz or not this is a great story for anyone to enjoy. I highly recommend watching this film.

This film will tug at your heart strings. Clark Terry is a beautiful human being who has made a difference one person, one note, at a time. You will walk away from this film and find yourself thinking about it for a long time after. It is the story of how our lives intersect with people and the difference that even one relationship can make for a lifetime. Watching the relationship between CT and the young prodigy, Justin (and Candy) leaves you wishing you could be in the room with them breathing in whatever they are putting out. There are multiple relationships taking place during the film and each is just as important as another. It is a film showing real life with all of its joy, sorry, fear, anxiety, pain, love, and compassion. I have seen this film twice and can't wait to see it again and share it with everyone I know. I am also keeping an eye out for whatever is around the corner for the talented Justin Kauflin.

This is a heart-warming, even encouraging film. I saw it this afternoon at the SB Int. Film Festival on the recommendation of a friend. Not a musician, I learned a lot about jazz, about musicians and, especially, about friendship and mentoring. Others have told the story of Clark Terry and Justin Kauflin, so I won't repeat it. What it's really about is friendship and generosity and caring and love. With archival photos as well as scenes from the Montreux Jazz Festival, and made thanks to the generosity of many, including Kickstarter supporters, and especially Quincy Jones, over the course of four years, this first film by the director is a jewel of a film, deserving of wide viewing.