Witnessing the birth of Taiwan cool

"Somehow, we never expected to be doing a duo project," Hsieh said. "But we didn't want all our learning to go to waste."

Asked if there was an active jazz scene in Taiwan, Hsieh gave a reluctant yes. "There is starting to be one," he said. "A lot of young people are picking it up nowadays, but there's still a long way to go. As older musicians, we've got to help cultivate an environment for them."

Geddy Lin (林正如), longtime jazz advocate and leader of the jazz band J.E.G. that plays weekly at Riverside Cafe (河岸流言) agrees. "There aren't enough mature musicians yet," he said. "There were virtually no jazz musicians in Taiwan 20 years ago, and those of us in our 30s are the oldest generation. But the last five years or so have shown a spike of growth in our ranks."

This summer, Hsieh and Chang are co-sponsoring the first annual Taiwan International Summer Jazz Academy, a week-long camp at the end of August for aspiring jazz musicians. Teachers include their own teachers from Brussels, and other contacts in the US and in Holland.

"We're hoping to introduce the students early to all that jazz can be," Chang said. "We ourselves were only able to access it late in our careers."

And after the baby arrives?

"We'll rest a while," Hsieh said.

Performance note:

What: Chipin and Kaiya's Duo Project

Where: Corridor Cafe, on the first floor of the NTU Multipurpose Gynamsium, at the intersection of Xinhai Road (辛亥路) and Xinsheng S. Rd. (新生南路)

Phone: (02) 83695656

When: 8 pm tonight, and on July 23, Aug. 6 and Aug. 20

Admission: NT$250, includes drink

Web site: http://www.chipin-kaiya.com