We sat down with the piano prodigy and protégé of Quincy Jones before he returns to play our Sunset Jazz series at The Top Of The Standard on Saturday, August 22nd.
THE STANDARD: You’ve been raised in music, and started music lessons when you were 4 years old. What's your earliest memory of you feeling connected with music as a child?
PHOTO BY RORY ANDERSON / QUINCY JONES PRODUCTIONS.
It was later in your childhood that you concentrated on music. You said “you started falling in love with music the more you practiced.”
Right now, what keeps your love for music growing?
I’m constantly amazed by the relationship between myself and the audience. I love that a good relationship and connection between us is essential to an amazing experience for everyone. It’s a symbiotic relationship. I share my music and pray for a connection. When there is a connection, I get a real visceral response from the audience, which then drives me to strive for higher levels. It can be quite a spiritual experience.
“I share my music and pray for a connection.”
You have been mentored by two of the greatest jazzmen, the late Clark Terry and Quincy Jones. Quincy said you’re a "beautiful cat, you can feel it in every note [you] play.” Do you think jazz is the window to the soul of the musician?
You said Clark taught you “it was not just about being a good musician, it’s about being a good person.”
Art in general is a glimpse into a person’s soul. Music presents a unique medium that somehow reaches even deeper into both the musician and the listener. I firmly believe that the most honest type of musical expression draws purely on what’s inside that person. When things don’t click, it doesn’t necessarily mean a person is ugly or bad: it means there is some incompatibility between the musicians. When the music is really happening, I believe that’s a direct result of the musicians sharing a real common inspiration and goal in their music-making. In a perfect world, we would all get along just fine, but, we’re in the real world, where that doesn’t happen all the time. I feel this dynamic every time I get together with someone new.
You said Clark taught you “it was not just about being a good musician, it’s about being a good person.”
Clark taught me many, many things. One thing that stand out in particular is the importance of being a truly great performer. After spending time with CT, I realized the difference between being a musician and a performer. Clark was not just a master trumpeter. When he was on stage, he brought the audience into his world. He was engaging. He communicated so much through his words and personality. He created a whole atmosphere that made everyone feel welcome and so happy to be there with him. That’s something very special.
"[In New York], things are tough, but inspiration is never lacking."
You lived in NYC for a while after graduating with a degree in jazz performance and you said it was a tough time, especially as a blind musician. Could you share one of your favorite jazz memories from those hard times in NYC?
No matter how hard it gets in NYC, you can always depend on seeing some of the best musicians in the world. Things are tough, but inspiration is never lacking. One thing that came out of my first stint in NYC was my first album, Introducing Justin Kauflin. This was a particularly special experience for me, and I’m glad I got to share how I felt at that time through the music. I’ll always be grateful for the difficulties I faced in New York, as those are the things that have helped me develop not only as a musician, but as a human being.
You spent your childhood in Virginia Beach. What's the most jazzy thing you can do there?On Monday, August 22nd, Justin Kauflin performs at The Top Of the Standard
Sunset Jazz, 4-9pm
The Standard, High Line
See the documentary depicting the friendship of Clark Terry and Justin Kauflin entitled Keep On Keeping On
