A major player
Hsieh not only made the Kupa Band's reputation, he also created the Swallow Sisters, the first duo in Taiwan to make extensive use of vocal harmonies. The honey-voiced sisters hit it big in the sixties, overshadowing the many other sister acts around at the time. Hsieh also arranged all of the Swallows songs himself, adding plenty of harmonies. After the success of the Swallow Sisters, Four Plus One, Chen Fen-lan, Hung Yen-ping, Li Pei-ching, Chiu Yuen-shu and Kang Ya-lan all took voice training from Hsieh.
Hsieh became so well known and the vocalists he trained so successful that in 1970, the 16-year-old Liu Hsiao-pei, an ethnic Chinese from Thailand, flew to Taipei to seek him out. Liu had seen the Swallow Sisters and Chen Fen-lan perform in Thailand and had been impressed by their vocal skills. When she made inquiries, she discovered that they had studied with Hsieh. She decided that she too would study with Hsieh and came to Taiwan specifically to do so.
For his selfless contributions to music, Hsieh was awarded a special Golden Tripod in 1992.
While the Kupa Band was originally formed to play jazz, they also play Latin music, international chart toppers, Taiwanese folk music, all kinds of dance music and even classical music. For this they are in debt to their long-time arranger, Wen Ching-tien. Wen has tirelessly scored the hits of the day for Kupa, providing the band with a wealth of material to play. To date, Wen has created band scores for more than 1,000 songs, a large part of which have been local tunes.
Sharing a musical passion
Wen Ching-tien says that the music fans of those days were more fond of and more familiar with local popular music. The band therefore always included a few familiar tunes in their sets. Playing them live always brought audiences to fever pitch.
Hsieh Lei, who sang with Kupa innumerable times, recalls that the band excelled at Latin dance tunes. He says the small bands of today with their synthesized sounds just can't create the same kind of vibe that Kupa did when the mood lights came on and they started playing. He notes that the reason that the Kupa Band has been around for 50 years is simply that they are the best big band in the country.
When Hsieh Teng-huei retired, his nephew Hsieh Shou-yen became the leader of the band. Hsieh Shou-yen, who has been with the band for more than 30 years, got his start playing clarinet. Under his uncle's tutelage and guidance, he joined Four Plus One and recorded a number of albums. These days, Hsieh Shou-yen has also gone gray, but his eyes still shine when conversation turns to the Kupa Band's illustrious history. Hearing him talk about the band, one is transported back in time.
Hsieh Shou-yen says that the Kupa Band had its golden age more than 30 years ago. In those days, every member of the TTV, CTV and China Television Service bands had first been a member of Kupa. As time went on, people remembered the TV bands, but gradually forgot Kupa. "Actually, we never stopped performing. The band's in its fifth generation now."
The Kupa Band forever
Hsieh Shou-yen explains that the reason so many people thought the Kupa Band had broken up or were no longer performing is that the band doesn't perform often. He points out that Kupa is a big band with 24 members, so it costs more to hire it than to book a smaller band. As a result, the band usually only plays at the major functions of large organizations such as the Jaycees, the Lions and some American corporations.
Hsieh reveals that Taichung Mayor Jason Hu is among the band's fans. When Hu was director of the Government Information Office, he always used to hire them to play at receptions for visiting diplomats. Professional performances made for lively receptions at which the diplomats thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
In the months before Hsieh Teng-huei died, it was the future of the Kupa Band about which he was most concerned. He repeatedly took his nephew's hand and asked him to keep the band together no matter what. Hsieh Shou-yen says that his uncle taught him the meaning of determination and making a contribution. He goes on to say that while he himself may not be all that special, he will never forget his uncle's request. No matter how Taiwan may change, the Kupa Band will always be there to entertain people.