Five Points Jazz on Film: Keep On Keepin’ On

A free film presentation ahead of the Five Points Jazz Festival on May 16th.

About the film: Shot over the course of five years by first time filmmaker Al Hicks, “Keep On Keepin’ On” depicts a 23-year-old, blind piano prodigy, Justin Kauflin, and music legend and teacher Clark Terry. Recently passed, Terry spent his life working with and teaching the most totemic figures in jazz history, most notably as Quincy Jones’ first teacher and mentor to Miles Davis, as well as one of the few performers ever to have played in both Count Basie’s and Duke Ellington’s bands. “Keep On Keepin’ On” highlights Terry’s friendship with the preternaturally gifted Kauflin, who suffers from debilitating stage fright and not long after Kauflin is invited to compete in an elite Jazz competition, Terry’s health takes a turn for the worse. As the clock ticks, we see two friends confront the toughest challenges of their lives. (Denver Arts & Venues)