Jazz Cowboys

Jazz Cowboys (爵士牛仔 in Mandarin) were a jazz quartet with punk inclinations that emerged from the Taipei underground music scene in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Led by American Chapman Stick player George Soler, the band's original lineup featured French Canadian saxophonist Paul Chenard, English trumpeter Dominic Rablah, and drummers 徐德昌 (Te-Chang Hsu) of Taiwan and American Mike Bennett. Jazz Cowboys were notable for both innovative compositions and bold improvising during performance. The band was signed to indie Crystal Records in 1991 by 任將達, then A&R head and president of the label, Taiwan's only record label at the time devoted to releasing avant-garde, alternative, protest and indigenous Taiwanese music. Jazz Cowboys were part of a flowering underground music and club scene in Taipei coinciding with relaxing censorship enforcement and the lifting of martial law. The band performed constantly on the underground circuit, appearing often in illegal but popular Taipei night spots of the era -- uTOPia, Man Dog Ant, OZ, and the Feelmore. Jazz Cowboys' 1991 eponymous album on the Crystal label of 10 original compositions sold out its initial pressing of 5,000 -- sales figures considered impressive in a market with few followers of instrumental jazz. The album includes one track featuring Taiwan punk rocker Sissey Chao (Nostalgic Drum). Paul Chenard left the band in late 1991 and was backfilled with English guitarist and film composer Simon Whitfield.