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John Bunch
John Bunch
John Bunch
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Key Information

John Bunch (December 1, 1921 – March 30, 2010) was an American jazz pianist.[1][2]

Early life

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Born and raised in Tipton, Indiana,[3] a small farming community, Bunch studied piano with George Johnson, a Hoosier jazz pianist. By the age of 14, he was already playing with adult bands in central Indiana.

Later life and career

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During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and became a bombardier on a B17 Flying Fortress.[3] He and his ten-man crew were transferred to combat duty in England, flying bombing missions over Germany. His plane was shot down on November 2, 1944, and Bunch was taken prisoner.[3] In the prison camp, he learned to arrange for big bands.

After the war, he applied for university training as a music major, but was refused because he could not sight read classical music.[3] He worked later in factories and insurance. In 1956, he moved to Los Angeles where he immediately was accepted by jazz musicians such as Georgie Auld and Jimmie Rowles, who later recommended him to Woody Herman.[3] He settled in New York in 1958, where he joined Eddie Condon and Maynard Ferguson.[3] He recorded with Ferguson and many smaller groups.

In 1966, Bunch joined Tony Bennett as pianist and musical director, and stayed with the singer until 1972.[3] During that time he appeared on Bennett's 1972 series for Thames Television, Tony Bennett at the Talk of the Town. After that, he resumed his jazz work, performing and recording with Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Pearl Bailey, and Scott Hamilton.[3] He led a trio, mostly in England, and made many recordings as a leader, such as with the New York Swing Trio with Bucky Pizzarelli and Jay Leonhart.

Bunch remained active in Europe and the United States during his final years. He died of melanoma in Roosevelt Hospital, Manhattan, New York City, on March 30, 2010. He was survived by his wife, Cecily "Chips" Gemmell, a former private secretary to Winston Churchill.[4]

Discography

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As leader/co-leader

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Year recorded Title Label Personnel/Notes
1975 John's Bunch Progressive With Urbie Green (trombone), Al Cohn (tenor sax), Milt Hinton (bass), Mousey Alexander (drums)
1975 John Bunch Plays Kurt Weill Chiaroscuro Solo piano; reissue added solo piano tracks recorded in 1991
1977? Jubilee Audiophile Trio, with Cal Collins (guitar), George Mraz (bass)
1977 John's Other Bunch Progressive With Warren Vaché (trumpet), Scott Hamilton (tenor sax), Michael Moore (bass), Connie Kay (drums)
1977? Slick Funk Famous Door
1987? The Best Thing for You Concord Trio, with Phil Flanigan (bass), Chuck Riggs (drums)
1994? Plays Rodgers & Hart LRC As New York Swing; quartet, with Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar) Jay Leonhart (bass), Joe Cocuzzo (drums)
1994? Tributes Cole Porter LRC As New York Swing; quartet, with Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar) Jay Leonhart (bass), Joe Cocuzzo (drums)
1994? Tributes Jerome Kern LRC As New York Swing; quartet, with Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar) Jay Leonhart (bass), Dennis Mackrel (drums)
1995 Struttin' Arbors Duo, with Phil Flanigan (bass)
1996 Solo Arbors Solo piano
1996 New York Swing Chiaroscuro Trio, with Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar) Jay Leonhart (bass); in concert
1997 World War II Love Songs Groove Jams Trio, with Michael Moore (bass), Butch Miles (drums)
2001? Love in the Spring Koch
2001 A Special Alliance Arbors Trio, with Dave Green (bass), Steve Brown (drums)
2002? Manhattan Swing: A Visit With Duke Ellington Arbors Trio, with Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar), Jay Leonhart (bass)
2003 An English Songbook Chiaroscuro Solo piano
2003 Tony's Tunes Chiaroscuro Trio, with Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar), Jay Leonhart (bass)
2006 At the Nola Penthouse: Salutes Jimmy Van Heusen Arbors Trio, with Dave Green (bass), Steve Brown (drums)
2008 Plays the Music of Irving Berlin (Except One) Arbors Some tracks trio, with Frank Vignola (guitar), John Webber (bass); some tracks quartet, with Frank Wess (flute) added
2009 Do Not Disturb Arbors Trio, with Frank Vignola (guitar), John Webber (bass)

As sideman

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With Benny Bailey

With Buck Clayton and Tommy Gwaltney's Kansas City 9

With Kenny Davern

With Maynard Ferguson

With Gene Krupa

With Donnie O'Brien

  • Donnie O' Brien Meets Manhattan Swing: In a Basie Mood (Arbors)

With Bucky Pizzarelli

With Rex Stewart and Dicky Wells

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

John Bunch

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from Grokipedia
John Bunch was an American jazz pianist known for his elegant, tasteful style that bridged swing and bebop traditions, as well as his extensive career as a sideman and leader. Born on December 1, 1921, in Tipton, Indiana, he began playing piano at age 11 and was performing in local clubs within a year, drawing primary inspiration from Teddy Wilson. After serving in the military during World War II, where he was a prisoner of war, he established himself in New York City, becoming a sought-after accompanist for major figures in swing and big-band jazz. In the 1950s and 1960s, Bunch worked with prominent bandleaders including Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and Eddie Condon, while also collaborating with artists such as Wes Montgomery and Al Cohn/Zoot Sims. From 1966 to 1972, he served as Tony Bennett's musical director, accompanist, and conductor, performing with major orchestras including the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands, the London Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Returning to full-time jazz performance in 1972, he led his own trios—often in the classic piano-bass-drums format—and recorded extensively as a leader from the mid-1970s onward, with notable albums on labels such as Chiaroscuro, Concord, and Arbors. Bunch's graceful, rhythmically precise playing earned him praise as a flexible traditionalist with sophisticated harmonic choices, and he was sometimes described as "the Fred Astaire of the piano." He continued performing actively into his mid-80s, collaborating with younger mainstream musicians such as Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Warren Vaché, and appearing in clubs, festivals, solo concerts, and television broadcasts worldwide. He died on March 30, 2010, in Manhattan at the age of 88.

Early Life

Birth and Childhood

John Bunch was born on December 1, 1921, in Tipton, Indiana. Tipton, a small city in central Indiana, was the setting for his childhood and early upbringing in the American Midwest.

Early Musical Influences and Beginnings

Bunch began playing piano at age 11, drawing primary inspiration from Teddy Wilson. He began formal piano studies around this time, taking lessons from a local teacher. This early training allowed him to progress rapidly, and he was performing in local clubs within a year.

Military Service

World War II Enlistment and Combat

John Bunch enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942. He trained and qualified as a bombardier, serving in that role aboard B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers. Assigned to the 322nd Bombardment Squadron of the 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), he was stationed at RAF Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire, England, from where his unit conducted strategic bombing operations against industrial and military targets in Nazi Germany. Bunch participated in 17 combat missions over enemy territory. One of the aircraft he flew on was the B-17G named Miss Slipstream (serial number 43-38202). On November 2, 1944, during his 17th mission targeting the synthetic oil refinery at Merseburg, German fighters attacked the formation; his bomber sustained severe damage to both port engines, leading to a crash near Marbitz, Germany. This mission concluded his active combat flying. His pre-war musical activities were interrupted by his military service.

Prisoner of War Experience

John Bunch was shot down over Germany on November 2, 1944, during his seventeenth bombing mission as a bombardier aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress with the 91st Bomb Group. Two members of his crew were killed in the incident, but Bunch bailed out uninjured and was immediately taken prisoner by German forces. He was interned in a German prisoner-of-war camp. While interned, he played piano in the camp band and learned to arrange for big bands. He spent six months as a prisoner of war until his liberation in late April 1945, after which he was repatriated to the United States.

Music Career

Post-War Return to Music and Early Professional Work

After his release from a German POW camp in late April 1945, John Bunch returned to the United States and initially intended to pursue formal music studies, but was prevented from enrolling in music school due to his lack of classical training. Instead, he used the GI Bill to major in speech at Indiana University, graduating in 1950 with plans for a career in radio, while independently immersing himself in bebop as an extracurricular pursuit and adopting Bud Powell as a key influence due to the style's harmonic and rhythmic complexities. He resumed professional playing in Indianapolis, integrating into the city's active jazz scene and collaborating with local bebop-oriented musicians including guitarist Wes Montgomery. After discovering that weekend music engagements earned more than full-time radio announcing, Bunch and his wife briefly relocated to Florida before settling in Indianapolis to focus on music. Seeking broader opportunities, he moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1950s, where he performed with saxophonist Georgie Auld and sat in at various venues to establish himself. His recommendation to Woody Herman led to an engagement with the orchestra, which he described as the true beginning of his career as a full-time jazz musician. When Herman's band relocated to New York City, Bunch remained there and continued working as a sideman, including with small groups led by Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, as well as with Maynard Ferguson at events such as the Newport Jazz Festival. This period marked his transition into the competitive New York jazz scene as a reliable and versatile pianist.

Collaboration with Benny Goodman

John Bunch joined Benny Goodman's band as pianist in 1960. In this role, he participated in tours and recording sessions with the legendary clarinetist and bandleader. The collaboration provided Bunch with exposure to high-profile performances and helped solidify his reputation among jazz musicians, though specific recordings from this tenure are limited in documentation.

Long-Term Role with Tony Bennett

John Bunch served as Tony Bennett's pianist and musical director from 1966 to 1972. Bennett hired Bunch in 1966 for this demanding role, which required him to accompany the singer on piano while also conducting several world-renowned orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Count Basie band, and the Duke Ellington band. This six-year association marked the longest full-time, non-freelance position of Bunch's career. A notable highlight of the collaboration was Bunch's role as pianist in the 1972 British television mini-series Tony Bennett at the Talk of the Town, where he appeared as Self - Pianist in all six episodes alongside Bennett and conductor Robert Farnon. Bunch left the position in 1972 to refocus on his preferred work as a jazz pianist.

Solo Career and Recordings

Following his departure from Tony Bennett's ensemble in 1972, John Bunch pursued an active independent career as a bandleader and recording artist, frequently leading piano trios and small groups while performing solo concerts at venues including Carnegie Hall and international festivals. During the mid-1970s, he recorded five albums under his own name for labels such as Famous Door, Chiaroscuro, and Progressive, including a highly regarded solo piano collection of Kurt Weill compositions that was later reissued with additional solo tracks from 1991. Bunch continued releasing leader dates into the 2000s, primarily on Chiaroscuro and Arbors Records, with many albums organized around thematic tributes to the Great American Songbook or individual composers and lyricists, often in trio or small-group settings featuring collaborators like guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and bassist Jay Leonhart. Notable among these are the live trio recording New York Swing (2001, Chiaroscuro), the solo or small-group exploration An English Songbook (2003, Chiaroscuro), the composer salute At the Nola Playhouse: Salutes Jimmy Van Heusen (2006, Arbors), and the drummer-less trio album The John Bunch Trio Plays the Music of Irving Berlin (except one) (2008-2009, Arbors). He also produced solo piano recordings later in his career, such as John Bunch Solo (Arbors Piano Series at Mike's Place, Volume 1), which showcased his swinging, bluesy, and tender approach across 18 tracks at age 76. Bunch co-led the New York Swing trio (also known as the John Bunch Trio) with Pizzarelli and Leonhart, remaining active as a leader with this group into his late eighties, including his final performance in March 2010.

Film and Television Work

Television Appearances and Specials

John Bunch's most notable television appearance was as the pianist in the 1972 Thames Television mini-series Tony Bennett at the Talk of the Town. In this British production, he accompanied Tony Bennett during live performances recorded at the Talk of the Town nightclub in London, credited as Self - Pianist across 6 episodes featuring Bennett's renditions of popular standards. The series highlighted Bennett's vocal performances with musical direction and accompaniment from Bunch as part of the supporting trio, reflecting their ongoing professional collaboration during that period. Bunch also appeared as Self - Pianist on BBC Show of the Week (1971, 1 episode) and had an uncredited acting appearance as John Bunch on The Doris Day Show (1970, 1 episode).

Film Credits and Roles

John Bunch's involvement in film was limited to a soundtrack contribution in the independent drama Two Family House (2000). Directed by Raymond De Felitta, he is credited as the writer of the song "Dot's Cheesecake" featured in the film, which is set in 1950s Staten Island and benefits from authentic jazz elements in its period setting. No acting credits or on-screen appearances in feature films are documented for Bunch, reflecting his primary focus on live performance, recording, and accompaniment throughout his career.

Personal Life and Death

Family and Marriages

John Bunch was married to Cecily Gemmell, known as Chips. Details about his personal life remain limited in public records. Bunch largely kept his private life out of the spotlight, with family information primarily appearing in obituaries and tributes following his death.

Later Years and Passing

In his later years, John Bunch remained active as a jazz pianist, with his primary musical outlet being the New York Swing trio alongside guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and bassist Jay Leonhart. The group performed regularly in New York and Europe while releasing well-regarded albums on various labels, allowing Bunch to maintain a busy schedule of performances and recordings. He continued to play to appreciative audiences and stayed engaged in the jazz scene into his late eighties, even appearing for a recording session as late as October 2009. Bunch's final performance with New York Swing took place on March 11, 2010. He died on March 30, 2010, at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan from melanoma, at the age of 88. He was survived by his wife, Cecily Gemmell.
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