ABOUT

Ben Flocks is a saxophonist and storyteller with a clear, warm, and purposeful voice. A veteran performer and educator, Flocks has been lucky to play with an impressive list of luminaries in jazz and beyond, including Dave Brubeck, Joshua Redman, Juumane Smith, Patrice Rushen, Antonio Sanchez, Jay Bellerose, Javier Santiago, Thana Alexa, and Caili O’Doherty.Flocks has led his band at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and at the 55 Bar and the Cornelia Street Cafe. Across the shifting moods of his three self-released albums, Flocks shares a cinematic vision with a lyrical thread, starting with his debut Battle Mountain (2014), his dreamscape Mask of the Muse (2019), and now in his 2026 release Moonshades.

Battle Mountain was praised as “soulful, heartfelt” by the LA Times and received four stars from Downbeat Magazine. Mask of the Muse features Flocks’ rendition of “Ebb Tide” which has been streamed more than 20 million times and went viral on TikTok. His “History of the Saxophone” video collaboration with early YouTube channel cdza is a clever tour of the sounds and styles of more than forty of the greatest saxophonists to ever live. In 2023, Flocks performed on pianist and composer Kris Bowers’ Grammy-nominated score for The Color Purple.

Flocks’ diverse credits as a performing and recording artist stand proudly in tandem with his resume as an educator. He holds a MA in Music Education from San José State University and a BFA from the New School in New York. He currently serves on faculty at Glendale Community College, Harvard-Westlake School, and the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Through his inclusive educational philosophy emphasizing focused listening and peer-mentorship, Flocks works to build relationships, open minds, and foster ideas that carry weight far beyond the classroom.