The Brubeck Institute, part of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, honors its alumni Dave and Iola Brubeck.  Each year the school awards five scholarships to outstanding jazz musicians who are new high school grads.  This extremely competitive honor yields a batch of ferocious young lions.  The fact that two Twin Citians – Javier Santiago (piano) and Chris Smith (bass) – are among the scholarship winners is a tribute to their talents and to Minnesota’s youth jazz programs.  They will be joined by Ben Flocks (sax) and Cory Cox (drums).  Together they make up four-fifths of the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet, which performs at premier events (like the Monterey Jazz Festival) and top venues around the country.  The Artists’ Quarter is thrilled to welcome Chris and Javier to the stage as they continue their rise among the ranks of the elite young musicians in jazz.

Saxophonist Ben Flocks, 18, is a 2007  graduate of Pacific Collegiate School in Santa Cruz, CA . He played tenor saxophone in the SFJAZZ All Star High School Ensemble, won Outstanding Soloist awards at The Santa Cruz Jazz Festival in 2003-2004 and Stanford Jazz Workshop in 2004. Ben has studied with Ray Brown, Scott Nordgren, Dee Spencer and Dale Mills, and currently studies at the Stanford Jazz Workshop with Charles McPherson. He has performed at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Stanford Jazz Festival, Santa Cruz Jazz Festival, Herbst Theatre, De Young Museum, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey Museum of Art, and The Catalyst Nightclub, and has performed with artists such as Charles McPherson, Kevin Hays, Carl Allen, Javon Jackson, Luciana Souza, and Dayna Stephens.

Pianist Javier Santiago, 18, is a 2007 graduate from South High School, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He began studying piano at age 7, and took up jazz piano and trumpet at age 10. He has performed at venues such as the Dakota Jazz Club, The Artists Quarter, and other local venues in Minneapolis. He recorded his first CD in 2004 with a group called "Second Nature". He was also a member of the Minnesota Youth Jazz Band and many different jazz combos throughout high school. He cites Herbie Hancock, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Geoff Keezer, and Miles Davis as his biggest influences.

Bassist Chris Smith, 19, a 2006 graduate from South High School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, began the study of the bass in sixth grade. He was a member of the Minnesota Youth Jazz Band and participated in the pit for several school musicals, played for the high school Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Bands and performed with the Minnesota Youth Symphony 2001-2002. Smith has also appeared at Dakota Jazz Club, Rossi’s, the Minneapolis Convention Center, various restaurants, festivals and churches.

Drummer Cory Cox, 20, a 2006 graduate from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas has been playing the drums since he was nine. He was in the 2006 GRAMMY Jazz Combo. He was also a member of the 2006 Texas Music Educators Association All-State Jazz Ensemble. While at HSPVA he was a member of the Jazz Combo. He attended the Skidmore Jazz Institute and was a member of the Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony. Cox has had the opportunity to perform with Victor Goines, Charles McPerson, Conrad Herwig, Geoff Keezer, Mulgrew Miller, Nichaolas Payton and David Sanchez. Cory is in his second year as a Brubeck Fellow.

The Brubeck Institute was established by the University of the Pacific in 2000 to honor its distinguished alumni, Dave and Iola Brubeck. The mission of the Institute is to build on Dave Brubeck's legacy and his lifelong dedication to music, creativity, education, and the advancement of important social issues including civil rights, environmental concerns, international relations, and social justice.