Courtesy of Absolute Clay Productions
“Keep On Keepin’ On” is the story of the friendship between jazz legend Clark Terry, right, and blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin, left. See it unfold in Billings Farm’s last film screening of the season on Saturday, March 26.
Saturday, March 26 at 5 p.m. — WOODSTOCK — The 6th Annual Woodstock Vermont Film Series at the Billings Farm & Museum concludes with the award-winning documentary “Keep On Keepin’ On,” Saturday, March 26 at 5 p.m.
Filmed over the course of five years, “Keep On Keepin’ On” is the remarkable story of 93-year-old jazz legend Clark Terry —a living monument to the Golden Era of Jazz who mentored Miles Davis, and is among the few performers ever to have played in both Count Basie’s and Duke Ellington’s bands. In the 1960s, Terry broke the color barrier as the first African-American staff musician at NBC—on “The Tonight Show.”
“Keep On Keepin’ On” highlights Terry’s friendship with the preternaturally gifted Justin Kauflin, a blind, 23-year-old piano prodigy who suffers from debilitating stage fright. 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. Kauflin’s work on the film’s score with composer Dave Grusin sets the tone for a story that spans decades, lifetimes and the entire history of modern Jazz, complete with firsthand anecdotes from Jones and Herbie Hancock. The film earned the Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award; plus an additional five wins and two nominations. It is shown in HD projection and surround sound, with complimentary refreshments.
Tickets prices are $5-11. For more info, visit www.billingsfarm.org/filmfest or call 802-457-2355.
Billings Farm & Museum is located one-half mile north of the Woodstock village green on Vermont Route 12. It is owned and operated by The Woodstock Foundation, Inc., a charitable non-profit institution.
