When Skylar Tang’s composition Kaleidoscope won first prize in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Student Composition & Arranging Contest, it signaled something worth paying attention to: a young trumpet voice trained not just on facility but on structural thinking. The Ellington contest is not a showcase for individual virtuosity; it rewards the ability to write and arrange within a specific and demanding idiom. Tang, who came to the horn at nine and began composing as a teenager, cleared that bar early.
About the Show
Since that recognition, she has recorded on Joshua Redman’s 2025 album Words Fall Short and performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the SFJAZZ Collective — each a significant entry on a still-developing résumé. The Peak Jazz Series brings her to Caffè Lena on September 11 as a leader. Session work asks a musician to inhabit someone else’s concept; leading a group requires defining your own. The quartet includes pianist William Schwartzman, bassist John Murray, and drummer Rudy Royston.
Tang’s father introduced her to jazz through records by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Bill Evans — musicians who understood melodic and harmonic space as carefully as the notes themselves. That foundation informs the kind of program the series promises: “adventurous improvisation with lyrical melodies, thoughtful compositions, and the energetic interplay that makes live jazz so compelling.” For a composer who grew up absorbing music built on those values, the description is not merely promotional language; it is a reasonable account of what she is likely to bring.
The Peak Jazz Series is supported by Joseph and Luann Conlon in memory of Joel Moss.
Venue & Logistics
Caffè Lena, at 47 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs, is one of the capital region’s most established listening rooms. A folk club by origin, it is a space that has long taken seriously the idea of an audience that shows up to hear. For a quartet working between composed material and open improvisation, the listening room format matters. Not every room accommodates the dynamic range that this kind of jazz requires. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; the performance runs 8:00–10:00 p.m. For those who cannot be in the room, a livestream is available through Caffè Lena TV at $5, with all proceeds going to the artists.
Tickets
Tickets are priced at $28.20 for members, $32.53 general admission, and $16.27 for children and students, all fees included. Buy tickets