Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz

For the first time in five years, International Jazz Day will focus its lavish attention on a global host city: Tangier, which Randy Weston once described as "the northern gateway to Africa."

What does it mean to pick a winner in jazz? We're considering that question in this episode of The Late Set — with an assist from Joshua Redman, whose career got off to a big start when he won the Thelonious Monk Jazz Saxophone Competition precisely 30 years ago.

A 24-year-old piano prodigy, Jahari Stampley, has won one of the most prestigious awards in jazz. The competition held by the Herbie Hancock Institute is widely seen as anointing new stars.

Jahari Stampley, a dazzling young pianist from Chicago, took first prize at the prestigious Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition, prevailing over a field of 10 other competitors.

Philly's own Joe Block and Jordan Isaiah Williams are among the young players who will compete in the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition, on Oct. 14 and 15.

In the mid-2000s, Ambrose Akinmusire was a student at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance. He returns to the organization, now known as the Hancock Institute, as Artistic Director.