Doc looks at jazz great Clark Terry and latest protege
"Keep On Keepin' On" shows Ailing 93-year-old trumpeter's relationship with young, blind pianist.
YES, IT evolves around two figures from the jazz world - the esteemed 93-year-old trumpeter Clark Terry and his latest (of many) student prodigies, 23-year-old pianist Justin Kauflin.
But you don't have to be a jazz-head to be drawn in and empathize with the documentary "Keep on Keepin' On."
As directed by Alan Hicks and produced by Quincy Jones - both former students of Mr. Terry, as well - the film (five years in the making) is equally focused on the human drama both guys are undergoing and sharing.
Suffering from advanced diabetes, Terry is bed-ridden and weak. He's going blind, losing his lip, in need of foot amputation.
Kauflin, blind since age 6, is now bravely taking on the Big Apple music scene with his guide dog. The young guy's wonderfully upbeat whenever hanging with and learning from "C.T." at his North Jersey home. Giving back as well as getting encouragement.
And clearly Kauflin's loaded with talent - fleet of finger, quick to pick up and mimic Terry's vocally passed-along riffage and timing tricks, showing an amazing depth of knowledge of the jazz standards that the old-timer challenges him to play.
But at the same time, there's a dark cloud of self-doubt and stage fright weighing heavily on the young keyboardist, as he practices (and practices and practices) for the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. And then there's the bigger issue: Has he unearthed his own distinctive essence, as Terry urges, his own truth, passion and voice?
Before we get there, there's plenty of celebration of Terry's past - especially illustrating his early years with the Duke Ellington and Count Basie bands, his landmark status as the first African-American staff musician featured in a major TV-show band (on the Johnny Carson-led "Tonight Show"), his unmatched-in-quantity recording career, plus Terry's many years and ways of giving back to young musicians, as a mentor and educator.
Super producer/bandleader Quincy Jones was a young teen when he first encountered and was motivated by Terry - a life-changing experience that "Q" shares on camera.
So, who could blame him for now enshrining Mr. Terry with this film, or (spoiler alert) by co-adopting Kauflin as his pet-project, too?