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Coss continues to refine and develop his skills as a vocalist, arranger and producer by continuing collaborations with many of today’s new and venerable talent. By having a continuous gig, he has been able to not only learn, but how to grow, develop his own style and a distinctive confidence when interpreting a song. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with some incredible musicians and meet some great people like the late Laurel Watson who sang with many groups including the Basie and Ellington bands. Dakota Staton is another who came to visit on several occasions and would sit in with the band and do some of her great signature tunes. Her mere presence was inspiring, she taught me a great deal.”

David cites such influences as: Mel Torme’, Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughn, Ernestine Anderson, Dakota Staton and Ella Fitzgerald. David says, “I wholly appreciate what each of these great pioneers can bring to a tune”.

Coss’s CD The Simple Life includes his vocal renditions of jazz classics like “Blue and Sentimental”  (Basie/Livingston/David), “Born to be Blue” (Torme/Wells), “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home to” (Porter) and “Don’t get around much anymore”  (Ellington/Russel)

In my hunt for gay male jazz musicians, David and I struck up a friendly correspondence via email. He knew of “out” gay jazz legend Andy Bey, but it’s interesting to note that even as a longtime NYC jazz club manager/booker, David personally knew of very few gay players. We joked about how even he was at a loss to explain the scarcity of gay men in the field of jazz. 

His replies to me on the subject are revealing: “Believe it or not, out of the many years I have been doing booking and singing, I only know one male trombone player (go figure) and I know a ton of lesbian instrumentalists. There are many more girlz in the jazz idiom than openly gay men. Strange and I don't know what that is about. I don't know if I would be outing them if I told you their names…”

And as I started offering him my own theories on the subject, his interest peaked:  “Now you have made me completely curious about this whole thing and it's making me crazy trying to figure out the whole sexuality thing in jazz.  Very bizarre!  I'm going to start asking friends what they think about it.  I WANT TO KNOW!”

Gay jazz pianist, composer, and clinician Ben Flint has been called “one of the most gifted composers and pianists of his generation" and “a pianist who approaches the chord from the inside out". About him, Isaac Hayes has simply said, "He's smoking".

As lauded in Jazz Now Magazine (Sept 1999), "Ben Flint is a talented artist who has paid his dues. He was a highly regarded sideman for many years. Many artists complete apprenticeships with musical geniuses before leading their own band. Ben attended Berklee College of Music and had played with Isaac Hayes for over a decade before releasing Onyx. The album has its share of highlights to make any jazz fan fall into a euphoric state."

Growing up near Memphis, Tennessee, Ben became excited by Jazz, Blues, and Gospel Music. After completing his degree at Berklee College of Music, he returned to the South to resume his music career. While conducting music productions and teaching at the University of Memphis, he landed a keyboardist position with Isaac Hayes.

Working with Isaac afforded Ben the opportunity to travel to the world. Ben has also appeared with Mr. Hayes on television shows that have aired on HBO, VH1, and Comedy Central. He has also performed at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, as well as the Montreal and Brazil's Free Jazz festivals.

In addition to touring and performing all over the San Francisco area, Ben also composes. In 1999, He released a full-length CD entitled Onyx - a collection of contemporary jazz songs that evoke a new era in mainstream Jazz. It features solo piano, piano trio, quartet with a guitarist, and includes a guest trumpeter and vocalist.

When Ben heard I was looking for gay jazz musicians to feature in an article, he responded via email, expressing interest. I asked him to give readers some of his own thoughts on being a gay jazz musician, and how it feels being in an area of music with so few out gay males. 

He generously responded at length and in-depth,  offering candid insights into his career that also reveal much of what real life is like for a working jazz player.