Larry Bunker


Lawrence Benjamin Bunker 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 and Glengarry Glen Ross to The Incredibles, 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.

Discography

As Leader
  • Live at Shelly's Manne-Hole – as The Larry Bunker Quartette featuring Gary Burton
With Christina Aguilera
With Chet Baker
  • Chet Baker Quartet featuring Russ Freeman
  • Pretty/Groovy
  • West Coast Live – with Stan Getz
With Cheryl Bentyne
  • Something Cool
With Tony Bennett
With Michael Bolton
With Pat Boone
With Tim Buckley
  • Sefronia
With Gary Burton
  • Something's Coming!
  • The Time Machine
With Benny Carter
  • Aspects
With Rosemary Clooney
  • Rosie Swings Softly
With Nat King Cole
With Natalie Cole
  • Unforgettable... with Love
  • Take a Look
  • Holly & Ivy
  • Ask a Woman Who Knows
With Harry Connick Jr.
  • When My Heart Finds Christmas
With Buddy Collette
With Bobby Darin
With Neil Diamond
  • Tap Root Manuscript
With The 5th Dimension
  • Stoned Soul Picnic
  • The Age of Aquarius
  • Portrait
  • Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes
  • Individually & Collectively
  • Living Together, Growing Together
With Billy Eckstine
  • Billy Eckstine's Imagination
With Bill Evans
  • Time Remembered
  • At Shelly's Manne-Hole
  • The Bill Evans Trio "Live"
  • Waltz for Debby
  • Trio '65
  • Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra
With Clare Fischer
  • Surging Ahead
  • Extension
  • Thesaurus
With Michael Franks
With The Four Freshmen
  • The Four Freshmen and Five Guitars
With Stan Getz
With Vince Gill
With Dizzy Gillespie
  • The New Continent
With Tramaine Hawkins
  • To a Higher Place
With Woody Herman
  • Songs for Hip Lovers
With Richard "Groove" Holmes
With Paul Horn
  • House of Horn
  • Plenty of Horn
  • Impressions of Cleopatra
  • Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts with Lalo Schifrin
With Al Jarreau
  • We Got By
With Dr. John
  • Afterglow
With Plas Johnson
  • This Must Be the Plas
With Stan Kenton
  • Lush Interlude
  • A Merry Christmas!
  • Artistry in Bossa Nova
  • Artistry in Voices and Brass
  • Stan Kenton Plays for Today
With Diana Krall
With Peggy Lee
  • Black Coffee
  • Dream Street
  • I Like Men!
  • Blues Cross Country
  • Guitars a là Lee
  • Mirrors
With Lou Levy
  • Jazz in Four Colors
With Jon Lucien
  • Song for My Lady
With Johnny Mandel
  • I Want to Live
With Barry Manilow
  • Showstoppers
  • Manilow Sings Sinatra
With Shelly Manne
  • Daktari
With Carmen McRae
  • It Takes a Whole Lot of Human Feeling
  • Can't Hide Love
With Gerry Mulligan
With Mark Murphy
With Walter Murphy
  • Walter Murphy's Discosymphony
With Oliver Nelson
With Robert Palmer
  • Ridin' High
With Art Pepper
  • Surf Ride
With Shorty Rogers
  • Wherever the Five Winds Blow
  • Gigi in Jazz
  • The Wizard of Oz and Other Harold Arlen Songs
  • Jazz Waltz
With Kenny Rogers
  • Timepiece
With Linda Ronstadt
  • Canciones de Mi Padre
With Pete Rugolo
  • Music for Hi-Fi Bugs
  • Percussion at Work
  • An Adventure in Sound: Brass in Hi-Fi
  • The Music from Richard Diamond
  • Behind Brigitte Bardot
  • The Original Music of Thriller
  • Ten Trumpets and 2 Guitars
With The Sandpipers
With Lalo Schifrin
With Diane Schuur
  • In Tribute
With Bud Shank
  • Strings & Trombones with Bob Brookmeyer
  • I'll Take Romance
  • Bossa Nova Jazz Samba with Clare Fischer
  • Brasamba! with Clare Fischer and Joe Pass
  • Bud Shank & the Sax Section
With Nina Simone
  • A Single Woman
With Frank Sinatra
  • Swing Along With Me
  • Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
  • Moonlight Sinatra
  • Cycles
  • A Man Alone
  • Sinatra & Company
  • Trilogy: Past Present Future
With The Singers Unlimited
  • Feeling Free
  • Friends
With B. W. Stevenson
  • We Be Sailin
With Donna Summer
  • Donna Summer
With Lew Tabackin
With The Manhattan Transfer
With Mel Tormé
  • ¡Olé Tormé!
  • Comin' Home Baby!
With U2
  • Rattle and Hum
With Sarah Vaughan
With Wendy Waldman'
  • ''Love Has Got Me''