Fumio Nanri (南里 文夫 Nanri Fumio, (December 24, 1910 – August 4, 1975) was a jazz trumpeter nicknamed the "Satchmo of Japan" by Louis Armstrong. He was one of Japan's first jazz musicians to become known outside his native country. A long-standing Japanese jazz award "The Fumio Nanri" was named for him.[1]
Fumio Nanri was born at Minamikyuhoji-machi, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He was the yougest child in the six brothers/sisters and his father died after four days of his birth. For that reason he often changed his address; Hiroshima Prefecture where his mother's family home were in, Kyoto Prefecture where the family his elder sister married into, Kobe where his elder brother lived in, and various locations. He entered 高島屋少年音楽隊 (Takashimaya Shōnen Ongakutai), the boys' band of Takashimaya, in 1925 after he graduated from a senior high school in Kobe. He played at a dance hall in Kobe after the boys' band disbanded. Then he moved to Tokyo in 1928 and entered Ichiro Ida (井田一郎 Ida Ichirō)'s band (the second term of Cherry Land (チェリーランド cherīrand)), but mere two months after he ran away form the band.
Nanri moved to Shanghai in 1929, and studied the piano with Teddy Weatherford.
Nanri went to San Francisco with some bandmen of a boat in 1932. In that year he entered Shigeya Kikuchi (菊地滋弥 Kikuchi Shigeya)'s band which was playing at Florida in Tameike (溜池 Tameike), Akasaka, Tokyo, in 1934 he formed his own band "Fumio Nanri and Hot Peppers". Fumio Nanri and Hot Peppers accompanied a singer Dick Mine (ディック・ミネ Dikku Mine) when Mine recorded.
Nanri lived in Dalian, China from 1937 to 1940, he played at Perroquet Dance Hall (ペロケ舞踏場 Peroke Butō-jō) in 1937. He often came back to Japan and recorded in these years.
Nanri was called up and went into the service of Kurume The 48th Military Unit (久留米第48部隊 Kurume Dai Yonjū-Hachi Butai) as a combat medic in February, 1944.
Nanri formed the first term of Hot Peppers in 1946.
Nanri formed the second term of Hot Peppers again with Hana Hajime (ハナ肇 Hana Hajime), Toshiyuki Ichimura (市村俊幸 Ichimura Toshiyuki) and some musicians in 1948.
Nanri suddenly had a misfortune that he almost lost his sight for optic atrophy in 1953, he nevertheless came back on August, and he played with Louis Armstrong on December in that year when Armstrong came to Japan.
Nanri played with Bobby Hackett, Clark Terry and some musicians at Trumpet Workshop to the memory of the late Louis Armstrong in 1971.
Nanri had the commemorative recital of his jazz life 48th year anniversary in 1973.
Nanri held a jazz concert to support Vietnamese people in 1974.
Nanri died on August 4th, 1975. Age at death was 64.
Nanri always played Dixieland jazz in a straight line, however he was engaged upon bebop for a period of postwar time.