Piano
Chicago-born pianist, composer, producer and educator Jahari Stampley is one of the most compelling young voices in contemporary jazz. Coming to the piano at the age of 14, he developed with remarkable speed; within two years he was already earning national recognition, and by his late teens his playing had attracted the attention of artists including Robert Glasper, Cory Henry, Jacob Collier, Stanley Clarke and Derrick Hodge.
In 2023, Stampley won first prize at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition, placing him firmly among the most exciting pianists of his generation. That same year, he was named Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz, honored by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and received a Luminarts Fellowship for his debut album, Still Listening. Further recognition followed with the 2025 ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award and the 2025 Luminarts Writers Award for his album What A Time.
Stampley’s music moves freely across jazz, gospel, classical color, hip-hop and R&B, combining radiant melodic invention with a rhythmic vocabulary that feels both orchestral and intensely personal. His debut album Still Listening rose to No. 1 on Apple iTunes shortly after its release, and music from the album has been arranged for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His second album, What A Time, expands that vision through genre-crossing compositions, luminous piano work and collaborations that reflect his wide creative world.
On stage, Stampley brings the same imagination to an international platform. He has toured with Stanley Clarke, appeared on Derrick Hodge’s Color of Noise, contributed piano, organ and keyboards to Keyon Harrold’s Grammy-nominated Foreverland, and performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, The Met Philadelphia, Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom and SFJAZZ Center. He has also headlined solo piano performances across Germany, Switzerland and the United States, while leading workshops and masterclasses internationally.
A pianist of rare momentum and emotional clarity, Jahari Stampley continues to expand what a modern jazz artist can be: a virtuoso with a deeply human sound, a composer with an ear for possibility, and a performer whose music invites audiences into a world of movement, tenderness and discovery.
jazz contemporary solo piano
