Santa Cruz-born, Brooklyn-based rising saxophone player Ben Flocks has received critical acclaim for his performances at the Bern and Umbria Jazz Festivals. As a child, Ben was exposed to a wide range of musical opportunities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended shows at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, performed with the SFJAZZ All-Star High School Ensembles, and studied with Ray Brown, a trumpeter and arranger. As a Brubeck Institute Fellow, he has also played with Joshua Redman’s Trio as well as Dave Brubeck. Flocks is strongly influenced by Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz as a saxophone trio, but his own music is a unique blend of folk, blues and Americana. The Ben Flocks Quintet opened for Ahmad Jamal at Switzerland’s Bern Jazz Festival in April 2011. They received rave reviews. Ben was invited to Bern to spend a week at Marian’s Jazzroom. Ben received a B.F.A. in Jazz Performance from the New School in New York City in May 2011. He also completed a mentorship program for two years at Stanford Jazz Workshop during this summer. Ben is now a professor at Stanford Jazz in California, and the Calhoun School New York. As part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz for Young People programs, he also teaches in New York City schools. To rave reviews, Ben released his debut album, “Battle Mountain”, on February 11, 2014. from http://www.benflocks.com
