Hokkaido: Saury song gives Nemuro festival a samba flavor

The Yomiuri Shimbun

10:45 JST, November 13, 2022

NEMURO, Hokkaido — Vibraphonist Fumiko Yamazaki, composer and lyricist of the song “Samma Samba,” and supporting musicians held a concert in the main hall of the Nemuro Shi Sogo Bunka Kaikan in Nemuro, Hokkaido, on the evening of Oct. 8.

The Fumiko Yamazaki Quartet, led by Yamazaki, performed with the East Point Jazz Orchestra, a local jazz band. They sang “Samma, samma, umai samma oishii yo!” (Saury, saury, tasty saury, they’re delicious!) to a cheerful samba rhythm. The audience clapped their hands in unison and sang the “Samma, samma” chorus.

Saury catches have been poor in recent years but are showing signs of recovery this fall. The concert was filled with the enthusiasm of the audience hoping for a good catch of saury, ahead of the Nemuro Saury Festival, which was held on Oct. 9 for the first time in three years.

The song “Samma Samba” is included on Yamazaki’s new album “Gaia,” released in May.