Jazz Fans Await Justin Kauflin's Return Performance in NJ at Just Jazz 3

MORRISTOWN, N.J. - Sept. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- For a young man who lost his vision completely at age 11, Justin Kauflin has a lot going for him.  In 2013, he logged thousands of miles playing jazz piano in the Quincy Jones World Tour at top venues in Switzerland, Japan and Korea, and most recently, in France and Brazil.

Now the world is seeing another dimension of Justin in “Keep on Keepin’ On,” a documentary which recently won the Audience Award and Best New Director Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, and for which he composed the score with David Grusin.  An article last week by Susan King of the Los Angeles Times touts the film as a possible Oscar contender.

“Keep On Keepin’ On” is a film which chronicles the mentoring relationship between legendary jazz trumpeter Clark Terry and Justin. “CT” as Justin fondly calls him, is helping Justin grow as a musician and performer, while CT struggles with his own vision loss as his deals with the frailties of being a 93-year-old-man with diabetes.

Justin, a graduate of William Paterson University, has returned to New Jersey several times to help support the programs of the NJ Foundation for the Blind (NJFFB), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Denville, NJ.  The Just Jazz concert is held in October to bring attention to Blindness Awareness Month in New Jersey.

Just Jazz 3 will take place at the Bickford Theater at the Morris Museum in Morristown to take advantage of their large seating capacity, as well as the ample exhibit space for the NJFFB Artists’ show entitled, “Scenes from an Alternate Universe.”

Iris Torres, President of the nonprofit’s board of trustees, says “we are so pleased to see Justin’s talent being recognized on a national, even international scale. He’s a good friend of ours, and he is looking forward to meeting our guests at the reception.”

Just Jazz 3 will be held on Friday, October 24, at the Morris Museum, starting with a wine and cheese reception and NJFFB Artists’ show at 6 PM, followed by the Justin Kauflin Trio in concert with vocalist Alexis Smith at 7:15 PM.  Tickets are $35 and online reservations at www.njffb.org/events are strongly encouraged.