Source: Adam Hart
Award-winning pianist and composer Justin Kauflin teases his highly-anticipated Sept. 14th third album Coming Home release with the official video for the title track, which captures the profound experience of synesthesia informing his work and explores the unique ways in which he encounters the world.
“Ever since losing my sight completely, the way in which I experience my surroundings has been quite unique. Instead of everything going black, what I see in my mind’s eye is extremely colorful and textured. Every moment is filled with an almost psychedelic swirl of blues, greens, reds, purples and gold against an expansive, seemingly endless backdrop of blacks and grays. On top of that is how the world around me influences those colors. When I enter a room, hear a sound or word, or listen to a live band, the spectrum of colors and textures in my mind shift slightly to associate with what I’m hearing. Needless to say, my world has become no less colorful since I went blind at 11. If anything, it has become more vibrant. When I set out to write music for this project, my goal was to “paint” a picture with sound. It’s my attempt at reverse engineering my visual experience into a sonic pallet, where the instruments and timbres are the different colored paints. The title “Coming Home” deals with the many ways I’ve experienced “home,” globally. The compositions on this recording serve to illuminate the various emotions attached to each unique location.”
Taking a page from the critically-acclaimed documentary Keep On Keepin’ On, which chronicles Kauflin’s relationship with friend and mentor Clark Terry, the clip offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process for the record featuring a cameo from executive producer Quincy Jones, who considers their collaborative relationship a matter of fate.
“It has been such an honor to witness Justin’s journey, not only through producing our film, Keep On Keepin’ On, but through executive producing his new album, ‘Coming Home’, alongside him and my other brother Derrick Hodge. I don’t believe that meeting people is left to chance, because nothing else but divine intervention could’ve brought everyone together to create this album: the perfect blend of trust, love, and respect…and some of the best musicians on the planet!!”
Bassist and co-executive producer Derrick Hodge, drummer Corey Fonville, bassist Christopher Smith and guitarist Alan Parker are the dynamic members of the band rounding out the video during an in-studio performance of the record engineered by Keith “Qmillion” Lewis and Rob Ulsh. Watch the video for “Coming Home” below. Pre-order Coming Home and get more on Justin Kauflin, including tour dates, at justinkauflin.com.
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