Larry Bunker
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Benjamin "Larry" Bunker (November 4, 1928–March 8, 2005) was an American
jazz drummer
, vibraphonist
, and percussionist. He also played timpani
with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
orchestra.
, 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
, 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) 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 .
With Bill Evans
With Oliver Nelson
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz drummer
Jazz drumming
Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz-rock fusion and 1980s-era latin jazz...
, vibraphonist
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, and percussionist. He also played timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
orchestra.
Biography
Born in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, Bunker was a central figure on the West Coast jazz
West coast jazz
West Coast jazz refers to various styles of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a sub-genre of cool jazz, which featured a less frenetic, calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music tended to be more heavily arranged,...
scene, one of the relatively few who actually were from the region. In the 1950s and 1960s he appeared at Howard Rumsey
Howard Rumsey
Howard Rumsey is a Californian bassist primarily known for his leadership of the Los Angeles group the Lighthouse All-Stars in the 1950s.-Life:...
's Lighthouse
Lighthouse Café
The Lighthouse Café is a nightclub located at 30 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach, California. It has been active as a jazz showcase since 1949 and, under the name "The Lighthouse", was one of the central West Coast jazz clubs from the 1950s through the late 1970s....
in Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,506 at the 2010 census, up from 18,566 at the 2000 census....
, and performed with Shorty Rogers
Shorty Rogers
Milton “Shorty” Rogers , born Milton Rajonsky in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, was one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played both the trumpet and flugelhorn, and was in demand for his skills as an arranger. Rogers worked first as a professional musician with Will Bradley and...
and His Giants and others. At first he played primarily drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, but increasingly he focused on vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
and was later highly regarded for his playing of timpani and various percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
instruments.
A dependable and in-demand studio drummer and vibist, Bunker achieved particular distinction by recording with Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, and many other jazz greats. In 1952, he was the drummer in one of Art Pepper
Art Pepper
Art Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
's first groups. In 1953 and 1954, Bunker played drums in some of the earliest of Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
's groups. From 1963 to 1965, he was, intermittently, the drummer in the Bill Evans
Bill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
trio. His work in movie soundtracks spanned over fifty years, from "Stalag 17
Stalag 17
Stalag 17 is a 1953 war film which tells the story of a group of American airmen held in a German World War II prisoner of war camp, who come to suspect that one of their number is a traitor...
" (1953) to "The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
" (2004), and included soundtracks by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
, Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa was a Hungarian-born composer trained in Germany , and active in France , England , and the United States , with extensive sojourns in Italy from 1953...
, Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
, Johnny Mandel
Johnny Mandel
Johnny Mandel is an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. Among the musicians he has worked with are Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, and Shirley Horn.-Life:...
, Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
and many other composers.
Bunker died of complications of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
at age 76 .
Discography
With Gary BurtonGary Burton
Gary Burton is an American jazz vibraphonist.A true original on the vibraphone, Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the usual two-mallets. This approach caused Burton to be heralded as an innovator and his sound and technique are widely imitated...
- Something's Coming!Something's Coming! (album)Something's Coming! is an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton recorded in 1963 and released on the RCA label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars stating "Gary Burton's third full-length album as a leader finds him rapidly developing into a fresh new voice on the...
(RCA, 1963) - The Time MachineThe Time Machine (Gary Burton album)The Time Machine is an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton recorded in 1966 and released on the RCA label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "This Gary Burton LP was a bit unusual in that he overdubbed piano and marimbas in addition to his distinctive...
(RCA, 1966)
With Bill Evans
Bill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
- Time RememberedTime Remembered-Track listing:# "Danny Boy" - 10:41# "Like Someone in Love" - 6:27# "In Your Own Sweet Way" - 2:58# "Easy to Love" - 4:42...
(Milestone, 1963) - At Shelly's Manne-HoleAt Shelly's Manne-HoleAt Shelly's Manne-Hole is a live album by American jazz musician Bill Evans, released in 1963 .-Reception:...
(Riverside, 1963) - Trio LiveTrio LiveThe Bill Evans Trio Live is a live album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans and his Trio, released in 1971 and recorded in 1964.-Track listing:Side 1# "Nardis" 6:00# "Some Day My Prince Will Come" 6:20...
(Verve, 1964) - Waltz for DebbyWaltz for Debby (1964 album)Waltz for Debby is a 1964 album by jazz musician Bill Evans and Swedish singer Monica Zetterlund.It was reissued by Verve Records in 2006.-Reception:...
(Philips, 1964) - Trio '65Trio '65Trio '65 is a studio album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans and his Trio, released in 1965.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, music critic Scott Yanow wrote of the album: "Although all eight of the selections heard on this Verve release have been recorded on other occasions by pianist Bill Evans,...
(Verve, 1965) - Bill Evans Trio with Symphony OrchestraBill Evans Trio with Symphony OrchestraBill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra is an album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans and his Trio, released in 1965. The Evans trio is accompanied by a symphony orchestra conducted and arranged by Claus Ogerman.- Reception :...
(Verve, 1965)
With Oliver Nelson
Oliver Nelson
Oliver Edward Nelson was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger and composer.-Early life and career:...
- Soulful BrassSoulful BrassSoulful Brass is an album by American jazz composer/arranger Oliver Nelson and pianist/entertainer Steve Allen featuring performances recorded in 1968 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
with Steve AllenSteve AllenSteve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen , American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3...
(Impulse!, 1968)