Pianist Justin Kauflin is probably best known for his co-star role in the powerful documentary about his friendship with Clark Terry, Keep on Keepin’ On, but his refreshing personality and incredible musicianship will ensure that people will remember him in the years to come. His compositions radiate an honesty and passion that are only shadowed by his spirit. The fact that he is visually impaired is only a small part of what makes him so special. When one meets and spends even a little time with him, what comes across more than anything is his almost overwhelming humility and his astounding commitment to improving himself as a musician and a person. This is reflected in the title of his newest release, Dedication. Humble as he may be, dude can play. I sat down with him before he and his band destroyed their two set west coast album release party at Los Angeles’ Blue Whale.
Revive: What did it feel like the first time you played the piano?
Justin Kauflin: First time I played or like messed around with the piano, I think I was 2. I think it was just curiosity, just sort of being drawn to it. It was sort of like, “Ok, I’m hearing these melodies and I’m going to try to figure them out on this thing.” I’d reach up- I wasn’t tall enough to see the keys- and I would just figure it out. Then it was like, “Oh, look at that! I figured it out!” It was this cool experience of trying to do something and then figuring it out and accomplishing it. Really, I think the love of the music and how music took over my life came gradually.
R: What were some of the earliest things you worked on?
JK: Pretty much the standard fare for classical pianists. The first thing I actually worked on was classical violin, though; that was my first instrument at age 4. The whole reason I took violin lessons was because my parents couldn’t find me a piano teacher who was comfortable teaching a visually impaired student. I started with the violin and learned a lot of great things – ear training and all these great tools I would use later. It was the Suzuki method, very set program. When I got into piano, the earliest stuff I really remember getting into was Bach. Bach really blew me away, and then Chopin came shortly after that. I just couldn’t get enough of those two guys. I always started with Bach preludes then I got into the Well Tempered Clavier. Actually, I lie! The first thing I really loved was Pachelbel’s Canon. I must’ve been 7. It was what my violin teacher would teach us when we were on Book Two. It’s not really in Book Two of the Suzuki method but that’s when she thought we would be ready to learn it. I had a tape- my parents must’ve had a tape- of Pachelbel’s Canon and I listened to it. I just remember sitting in front of the stereo like, “This is awesome! I can’t wait to learn this!” So, yeah.
R: How did your experience with Clark Terry inspire you and help you find your voice?
JK: Meeting Clark has probably been one of the greatest things that has happened in my life. I would really say that. He’s without a doubt an amazing musician, an incredible musician, a legendary musician. But more importantly for me, after being able to say I know him, he’s a beautiful human being. I think that’s way more important that being a good musician and he’s someone who really brought that home for me. It’s been a life changing thing to be able to call Clark Terry my friend and it’s something I’m extremely thankful for. One really important lesson that he shared with me was sort of chronicled in the movie. It’s nothing extraordinary or anything, but it’s really the fact that, if you really want this, if this is what you want, there are no shortcuts. You have to put in hours of work. He obviously told that to me in words, you know: “You have to find out how to be you,” and he always says, “You can do the right way or you can do the easy way.” Sort of like, really getting good at whatever you want to be good at takes so much commitment. He taught that to me in words, but he also taught it to me in how he lived his life. He never, never stopped. Even in the ’60s. We had a copy of his datebook from the ’60s and it was like, recording sessions from 9 a.m. to like 10 p.m. He was doing commercial work or jingles or actual recording sessions with other musicians. Then he might do a gig after that! He’s playing all day and then at the end of that it would say, practice. It’s like, “Good God!” That really stuck with me. That’s what it takes. You really gotta be that dedicated. That’s where you find yourself. Not even just find your “voice,” per se, but just find who you are. Who I am musically is just a reflection of who I am as a person, and the more I do to figure out who that is and who I want that to be, the more that will influence that sound that people will hear. Hopefully. You know, that’s what your hoping for.
R: I hear a lot of modern influence in your compositions. Who are some of your favorite modern musicians?
JK: I probably got a lot of my stuff from the guys from my hometown, actually. A piano player that I learned from, named John Toomey. He’s a professor at Old Dominion University and I got to spend time with him when I was in high school. He’s very much into the modern harmonies and he loves the ECM type stuff. Spending time with that definitely influenced me a lot. Also in high school, I played with- and even now I still play with- this guy named Jae Sinnett. You know, obviously, going to New York influenced me a lot, you know, listening to all the guys. Aaron Goldberg is definitely one of them with his trio; so good. He was with Kurt Rosenwinkel for a long time and I used to go see Kurt all the time. Aaron Parks is a great piano player that I’ve seen a bunch. Robert Glasper, I was like a fanatic, especially when he was playing more jazz, before he started The Experiment band. We learned all of his music and played it all during high school. Like before anybody else heard “Rise and Shine,” we were playing it in Virginia for our little high school recitals and stuff. So I got into it all, you know. Of course Brad Mehldau, all these guys. The list kind of doesn’t end. Kenny Kirkland-good god! Hopefully it all comes out.
R: You’re a prolific composer. Y ou’ve written quite a few tunes.
JK: Yeah, I guess! I guess so. I do have a few.
R: What inspires you to write?
JK: My approach to composition has been a work in progress, I would say. It’s like this: I take the inspiration wherever it comes from. I think the more open I can be about it, the better a receptacle I can be for ideas. For this record, for Dedication, it all really came from people. That was the deal. It was like, this comes from really spending time thinking about Mulgrew Miller or thinking about Clark, or any of these guys that I’ve gotten to spend time with that have been a big influence on me, but some of these things come from wherever. I think really my approach is just, take it where you can get it. It’s a tough process, the composition process. Really getting into it, being able to be free and let the ideas flow and not be critical.
R: Do you practice writing as part of your regimen?
JK: Yeah, it is definitely part of my regimen. I give myself tasks. Right now, I’m actually starting with the basics again and I’m just writing blueses. I pull out my iPhone, I have the voice mem0 app, and I sit at the piano and I’m like it’s 12 bars, you know. Write something. I have like four on my iPhone right now and I’m just going to keep working on that until I have like 30 different blueses that are very different from each other. Like, OK, here’s a 6/8 or a bluesy type of blues, but what about a modern type of blues, something that Aaron might write? Aaron Goldberg writes great blueses, I think! They’ve got kicks galore. There’s all kinds of ways to approach that one thing. Then I’ll move on to like, ok now let me write something that’s maybe still 12 bars, but not blues. So like exercises, any kind of exercises that just keep that juice flowing.
R: Did you have this instrumentation in mind when you were writing these tunes?
JK: I did, especially the quartet. I was writing them and I quickly realized that I wanted them to have the fourth voice so that I could be a little freer as a pianist to fill it out and to really give it that much more meat, instead of me playing the melody and the harmony and trying to make it full. I wanted more freedom to be an accompanist. A lot of people are like, “Why do you have a guitar player? Is this the guitar player’s record?” I’m like, “Nah it’s still mine!” I just composed everything and I wrote it that way for a reason. I wanted a bigger sound. The guitar was sort of the sound I chose when I was composing the stuff in the computer, but I really couldn’t have imagined anything else though. It was the sound I wanted to write for.
R: Could you talk about the band on the record? Have you known Matt [Stevens] for a long time?
JK: No! Ok, here’s how the band came together- I’ve been playing with Billy [Williams] since high school. We went to the same art school and learned how to play jazz together. He’s always been kinda like “my guy” ever since then. We’ve just stayed close, so he’s on my first record and on this one. Chris [Smith] I met about three years ago, I think. I met him through another drummer from Virginia Beach named Cory Fonville. Cory’s a fantastic drummer, he’s like Billy’s little brother almost. They’re really close and we always played together in Virginia. Anyways, I had a gig with Cory and I was like, “You got a bass player?” and he was like, “Yeah, Chris, man. You should use Chris.” So, hooked up with him then and I’ve loved playing with him ever since then. It’s easy to realize that I wanted him on the record. Matt also came around because of Cory, because they were playing in Christian Scott’s band. I was like, “Man, Corey, I’m lookin’ for a guitar player,” and he’s like “Dude, you should check out Matt.” And I had seen Matt play with Jamire Williams and I’ve heard other stuff that he’s done, more on the electric side, but I was like man, he’s got a really unique approach. Everything he does is musical, no matter what it is. I’ve always enjoyed how musical he’s been, especially in Jamire’s band. I was like man, let me give it a shot. I got his info from Cory and was like, “Man, would you mind doing this? Would you mind learning my music and playing it?” and he was like totally down, totally professional. Came in and read everything down like a pro and played beautifully. I’m so glad I was able to get him on it because, whenever he’s available, to having him on the gigs.
R: Any closing thoughts on Dedication?
JK: Dedication, in summation, is obviously a thank you record to all these people, but most especially for me, to God. You know, that’s my foundation, that’s where the inspiration comes from ultimately. It definitely comes from people and things and life experiences, but it always kind of boils down to it comes from that faith and spirituality aspect. That’s the overarching dedication.
Catch Justin Kauflin at the Jazz Standard this coming Tuesday, February 10th. Purchase your copy of ‘Dedication’ via iTunes.
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