Larry Bunker

American jazz musician (1928–2005)
Larry Bunker
Birth nameLawrence Benjamin Bunker
Born(1928-11-04)November 4, 1928
Long Beach, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 8, 2005(2005-03-08) (aged 76)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Drums, vibraphone
Musical artist

Lawrence Benjamin Bunker (November 4, 1928 – March 8, 2005) was an American jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and percussionist. A member of the Bill Evans Trio in the mid-1960s, he also played timpani with the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.

Biography

Born in Long Beach, California, Bunker was a central figure on the West Coast jazz scene, one of the relatively few who actually were from the region. In the 1950s and 1960s he appeared at Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, and performed with Shorty Rogers and His Giants and others. At first he played primarily drums, but increasingly he focused on vibraphone and was later highly regarded for his playing of timpani and various percussion instruments.

A dependable and in-demand studio drummer and vibist, Bunker achieved particular distinction by recording with Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Diana Krall, and many other jazz greats. In 1952, he was the drummer in one of Art Pepper's first groups. In 1953 and 1954, Bunker played drums in some of the earliest of Gerry Mulligan's groups. From 1963 to 1965, he was, intermittently, the drummer in the Bill Evans trio. His work in movie soundtracks spanned over fifty years, from Stalag 17 (1953) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) to The Incredibles (2004), and included soundtracks by John Williams, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Miklós Rózsa, Jerry Goldsmith, Johnny Mandel, Lalo Schifrin and many other composers.

Bunker died of complications of a stroke in Los Angeles at age 76.[1]

Discography

As Leader

  • Live at Shelly's Manne-Hole – as The Larry Bunker Quartette featuring Gary Burton (1990)

With Christina Aguilera

With Chet Baker

With Cheryl Bentyne

  • Something Cool (Columbia, 1992)

With Michael Bolton

  • Timeless: The Classics (Columbia, 1992)
  • This Is The Time: The Christmas Album (Columbia, 1996)

With Tim Buckley

With Gary Burton

  • Something's Coming! (RCA, 1963)
  • The Time Machine (RCA, 1966)

With Benny Carter

  • Aspects (United Artists, 1959)

With Rosemary Clooney

With Natalie Cole

With Buddy Collette

With Bobby Darin

With Neil Diamond

With The 5th Dimension

With Bill Evans

With Clare Fischer

  • Surging Ahead (Pacific Jazz, 1963)
  • Extension (Pacific Jazz, 1963)
  • Thesaurus (Atlantic, 1969)

With Michael Franks

  • Michael Franks (Brut, 1973)
  • The Art of Tea (Warner Bros. Records, 1976)
  • Sleeping Gypsy (Warner Bros. Records, 1977)

With Stan Getz

  • Children of the World (Columbia, 1979)

With Vince Gill

  • Breath of Heaven: A Christmas Collection (MCA Records, 1998)

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Tramaine Hawkins

  • To a Higher Place (Columbia, 1994)

With Woody Herman

With Richard "Groove" Holmes

  • Six Million Dollar Man (RCA, 1975)

With Paul Horn

With Al Jarreau

  • We Got By (Reprise Records, 1975)

With Dr. John

  • Afterglow (Blue Thumb, 1995)

With Plas Johnson

With Stan Kenton

With Diana Krall

With Peggy Lee

With Lou Levy

  • Jazz in Four Colors (RCA, 1959)

With Jon Lucien

  • Song for My Lady (Columbia, 1975)

With Johnny Mandel

With Barry Manilow

With Shelly Manne

  • Daktari (Atlantic, 1967)

With Carmen McRae

With Gerry Mulligan

With Mark Murphy

  • Mark Murphy's Hip Parade (Capitol, 1960)

With Walter Murphy

  • Walter Murphy's Discosymphony (New York, 1979)

With Oliver Nelson

With Robert Palmer

  • Ridin' High (EMI, 1992)

With Art Pepper

With Shorty Rogers

With Kenny Rogers

  • Timepiece (143, 1994)

With Linda Ronstadt

With Pete Rugolo

With The Sandpipers

  • Come Saturday Morning (A&M, 1970)
  • A Gift of Song (A&M, 1971)

With Lalo Schifrin

  • More Mission: Impossible (Paramount, 1968)
  • Mannix (Paramount, 1968)
  • Bullitt (Warner Bros., 1968)
  • Che! (Tetragrammaton, 1969)
  • Kelly's Heroes (MGM, 1970)
  • Rock Requiem (Verve, 1971)
  • Enter the Dragon (Warner Bros., 1973)

With Diane Schuur

  • In Tribute (GRP, 1992)

With Bud Shank

With Nina Simone

  • A Single Woman (Elektra, 1993)

With B. W. Stevenson

  • We Be Sailin' (Warner Bros., 1975)

With Donna Summer

  • Donna Summer (Geffen, 1982)

With Lew Tabackin

With The Manhattan Transfer

  • The Christmas Album (Columbia, 1992)

With U2

With Sarah Vaughan

With Wendy Waldman

  • Love Has Got Me (Warner Bros. Records, 1973)

Notes

  1. ^ Thurber, Jon (March 17, 2005). "Larry Bunker, 76; Respected Drummer". Los Angeles Times.

References

  • Feather, Leonard (1960). The Encyclopedia of Jazz. Horizon Press.
  • Gordon, Robert (1986). Jazz West Coast: The Los Angeles Jazz Scene of the 1950s. Quartet Books.

External links

  • Larry Bunker (Jazz and Studio Legend) – Tribute Website
  • Todd S. Jenkins, "The Last Post"
  • Larry Bunker at AllMusic
  • Larry Bunker discography at Discogs Edit this at Wikidata
  • Larry Bunker at IMDb
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