After completely losing his sight at age 11, due to a rare disorder called exudative retinopathy, Kauflin adjusted by learning braille/cane mobility, and after a decade of studying classical violin/piano, he switched to jazz piano in high school. In 2004, he graduated at the top of his class and received a Presidential scholarship to attend William Paterson University in NJ where he was taken under the wing of the legendary trumpeter, Clark Terry. Their relationship as mentor and student was chronicled in the documentary, Keep On Keepin’ On (KOKO), and after five years of filming, KOKO won top honors at many of the country’s most prestigious film festivals (i.e. Tribeca, Palm Springs, Seattle & more), was sold to Radius-TWC, and released in theaters nationwide. Furthermore, the film was selected for the Oscar ⓒ Documentary Feature Shortlist, and simultaneously, Kauflin’s 2015 album Dedication went to #1 on the Jazzweek charts. His latest release, Coming Home (2018), is produced by Quincy Jones and Derrick Hodge.
https://www.justinkauflin.com/