The ASCAP Foundation announced on Thursday that, under the leadership of President Paul Williams and Executive Director Nicole George-Middleton, it "continues its partnership in support of emerging jazz artists for a third year with the DC Jazz Festival, headed by President & CEO Sunny Sumter."
"The 2025 DC JazzFest takes place August 27-31. The citywide jazz celebration lineup ranges from renowned jazz legends to emerging artists and features a performance by one of this year’s ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award recipients. Pianist and composer Jahari Stampley will take the DC JazzFest Transit Stage at The Wharf, 1001 7th Street SW in Washington DC on August 30 at 5:15 pm."
"Jazz continually reinvents itself, shaping young talent into tomorrow's generation of creators," said ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams. "We are excited to partner for a third year with DC Jazz Fest to shine a spotlight on up-and-coming jazz creators."
“Every summer, we look forward to the DC JazzFest to celebrate the art of jazz and the
opportunity to have one of our Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award recipients share their talents on a high-profile stage,” said ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Nicole George-Middleton.
"The Jahari Stampley Family Band will surely be a performance to watch. Featured are Jahari Stampley on piano, D-Erania Stampley on upright electric bass, sax, synth and vocals, Ofri Nehemya on drums, and a surprise guest who will be announced during the performance. Earlier that day at 1:00 pm, Jahari will join 'Composing the Future,' a free 'Meet The Artists' discussion at DC’s Arena Stage. Jahari will also be a featured guest on “VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast” on August 25."
Jahari Stampley
"Jahari Stampley is a Chicago-born pianist who began playing at the age of 14. Within two years of exploring the instrument, he won competitions including the Best High School Jazz Soloist Award and the National Young Arts Competition. By the age of 18, he was recognized and followed by many world-renowned musicians such as Yebba Smith, Jill Scott, Robert Glasper, Cory Henry, Jacob Collier, Stanley Clarke, and Derrick Hodge, among others. Jahari has toured with Stanley Clarke and is featured on Derrick Hodge’s Color of Noise album."
Jahari has performed at Radio City Music Hall, The Met Philadelphia, Byline Bank Aragon in Chicago, Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Jazz Center and more. He has also headlined and performed solo piano tours in Berlin, Koethen and Magdeburg in Germany, Geneva, and Los Angeles. He has conducted music workshops in Santa Ana, Costa Rica, and taught masterclasses in Spokane, Washington. Jahari is also the band leader and featured pianist playing the part of Bill Withers’ keyboardist in the feature film Spinning Gold.
In May of 2025 Jahari released his single “To Be Alive” from his upcoming second album What A Time, which is set to be released in Asia in July 2025 and in the US in September 2025.
In 2023, Jahari won first place in the Herbie Hancock Institute International Competition, was named Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz, became the first non-classical musician to receive the Chicago Youth Symphony Alumni Award, and was awarded the 2023 Luminarts Fellowship for his debut album Still Listening. Still Listening rose to #1 on Apple iTunes in the first weeks of the album’s release. The music on Still Listening has also been arranged for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
"Earlier in his career, Jahari won the Bösendorfer prize in the 2019 International American Jazz Pianists Association Competition (for ages 18-25), the 2018 ASCAP Foundation Fran Morgenstern Davis Scholarship, and was a National Young Arts Foundation 2018 Young Arts Winner. Jahari also created and wrote the music for a mobile music training game, 'Piano Chronicles.' It is available as a mobile app for all mobile devices on Google Play Store and the Apple Store."
"The Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards were established by The ASCAP Foundation in 2002 to encourage gifted jazz composers up to the age of 30. The program carries the name of the great trumpeter and ASCAP member Herb Alpert in recognition of The Herb Alpert Foundation's multi-year financial commitment to support this unique program. The recipients, who receive cash awards, are selected through a juried national competition."
More information on this year’s Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards recipients can be found at https://www.ascap.com/press/2025/03/03-28-foundation-herb-alpert-recipients.
