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Key Information

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

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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

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As Leader

With Christina Aguilera

With Chet Baker

With Cheryl Bentyne

  • Something Cool (Columbia, 1992)

With Tony Bennett

With Michael Bolton

With Pat Boone

With Tim Buckley

With Gary Burton

With Benny Carter

With Rosemary Clooney

With Nat King Cole

With Natalie Cole

With Harry Connick Jr.

With Buddy Collette

With Bobby Darin

With Neil Diamond

With The 5th Dimension

With Billy Eckstine

With Bill Evans

With Clare Fischer

With Michael Franks

With The Four Freshmen

With Stan Getz

With Vince Gill

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Tramaine Hawkins

With Woody Herman

With Richard "Groove" Holmes

With Paul Horn

With Al Jarreau

  • We Got By (Reprise Records, 1975)

With Dr. John

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

With Carmen McRae

With Gerry Mulligan

With Mark Murphy

With Walter Murphy

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

With Oliver Nelson

With Robert Palmer

With Art Pepper

With Shorty Rogers

With Kenny Rogers

With Linda Ronstadt

With Pete Rugolo

With The Sandpipers

With Lalo Schifrin

With Diane Schuur

With Bud Shank

With Nina Simone

With Frank Sinatra

With The Singers Unlimited

  • Feeling Free (MPS, 1975)
  • Friends (Pausa, 1977)

With B. W. Stevenson

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

With Donna Summer

With Lew Tabackin

With The Manhattan Transfer

With Mel Tormé

With U2

With Sarah Vaughan

With Wendy Waldman

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

Notes

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References

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Larry Bunker

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''Larry Bunker'' is an American jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and percussionist known for his versatility, his central role in the West Coast jazz scene, and his extensive contributions as a Hollywood studio musician. Born on November 4, 1928, in Long Beach, California, Bunker was self-taught on piano, accordion, drums, and saxophone before beginning his professional career in the late 1940s after serving in the U.S. Army band. He emerged as a key figure on the West Coast jazz scene in the 1950s, performing at venues such as the Lighthouse Café with Howard Rumsey and collaborating with prominent artists including Stan Getz, Art Pepper, Gerry Mulligan, Barney Kessel, and Peggy Lee. Bunker's most acclaimed jazz association came in 1963–1965 when he joined the Bill Evans Trio, contributing to one of the pianist's most highly regarded lineups alongside bassist Chuck Israels. He also worked as a timpanist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and enjoyed a prolific studio career spanning over five decades, performing on film scores for composers such as Henry Mancini, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, and others, with credits ranging from Stalag 17 (1953) to The Incredibles (2004). Although he led only one notable recording as a bandleader, Larry Bunker Quartette: Live at Shelly's Manne-Hole (1963), Bunker remained a sought-after sideman across jazz, film, and television throughout his life. He died on March 8, 2005, in Los Angeles at the age of 76.

Early Life

Youth and Professional Start

Larry Bunker was born Lawrence Benjamin Bunker on November 4, 1928, in Long Beach, California. He demonstrated musical aptitude from childhood and was self-taught on piano, accordion, drums, and saxophone, beginning drums at age seven and piano from age ten. In 1946, Bunker enlisted in the U.S. Army and was accepted into the Army band, where he performed on drums and piano while stationed at Fort Ord until his discharge in 1948. This marked the completion of approximately two years of military service. Following his discharge in 1948, Bunker transitioned to full-time professional musician status. His first professional engagement was playing with a bebop combo on a Mississippi riverboat that same year. Upon returning to California, he began gigging and acquired and developed his skills on the vibraphone around 1950.

West Coast Jazz Scene

1950s Collaborations

Larry Bunker emerged as a significant presence in the West Coast jazz scene during the 1950s, frequently performing at Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, a key venue for the region's developing cool jazz style. Born in Long Beach, California, Bunker was one of a relative few prominent jazz musicians who were actually native to the West Coast region. In 1952, Bunker served as the drummer in one of Art Pepper's early groups, helping to anchor the saxophonist's initial small-band efforts. He also collaborated with Shorty Rogers and His Giants, contributing to the trumpeter's influential recordings and performances that defined much of the West Coast sound. Demonstrating his early multi-instrumental versatility, Bunker played both vibraphone and drums in his work with Georgie Auld during the early 1950s, including studio sessions and live engagements. He maintained an off-and-on relationship with vocalist Peggy Lee, serving in her band and supporting her recordings throughout the decade. Bunker's entry into film music came in 1953 when he performed percussion on the soundtrack for Stalag 17, marking the beginning of his long career as a Hollywood session musician.

Prominent Jazz Associations

Gerry Mulligan Quartet

Larry Bunker served as the drummer for the Gerry Mulligan Quartet in 1953, replacing Chico Hamilton in the pioneering piano-less ensemble. The group featured Gerry Mulligan on baritone saxophone, Chet Baker on trumpet, Carson Smith on bass, and Bunker on drums, creating a distinctive chamber-like sound that emphasized interplay among the horns and rhythm section. Bunker participated in key recording sessions during this period, including one at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles on February 24, 1953, where the quartet laid down tracks for Pacific Jazz Records. These recordings captured the group's innovative approach to cool jazz, with Bunker's precise and supportive drumming contributing to pieces later released on compilations such as Gerry Mulligan Quartet volumes. His tenure extended into 1954, during which he performed with the quartet at venues like The Haig in Los Angeles, helping to solidify the group's reputation in the early West Coast jazz scene. Bunker's work with Mulligan marked an important early chapter in his career, bridging his contributions to the emerging cool jazz style before moving on to other collaborations.

Bill Evans Trio

Larry Bunker served as the drummer in the Bill Evans Trio from 1963 to 1965, a period that represented one of his most important jazz affiliations. In 1963, while Evans was engaged at Shelly's Manne-Hole in Hollywood, he invited Bunker, then sitting in the audience, to join the trio onstage, resulting in Bunker completing the residency alongside bassist Chuck Israels. These performances yielded the significant live album Time Remembered, captured during May 30–31, 1963 sessions at the venue, where the trio delivered relaxed and introspective interpretations of standards. In spring 1964, Evans again called on Bunker for Los Angeles appearances, after which Bunker agreed to relocate to New York as the group's permanent drummer, leading to extensive touring, including European trips in 1964 and 1965. Bunker's playing was characterized by its quiet, supportive nature, making him an ideal collaborator for Evans' lyrical and harmonically rich style. Additional key recordings from this tenure include Waltz for Debby with vocalist Monica Zetterlund (1964), Trio '65 (1965), and Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra (1965).

Leadership and Vibraphone Work

Gary Burton Quartet

Larry Bunker formed the Larry Bunker Quartet featuring Gary Burton in 1963, enlisting Mike Wofford on piano and Bob West on bass, after the two vibraphonists initially met at a clinic in Salt Lake City that year. The group performed at Shelly's Manne-Hole in Hollywood, though their planned recording session was delayed following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, eventually taking place later that year. This resulted in the album Live at Shelly's Manne-Hole, recorded in 1963 and issued on Vault LP-9005. In 1965, Bunker and Burton joined forces again as part of the Stan Getz Quartet for an international tour covering Europe and Asia, highlighted by a concert in Tokyo on July 18, 1965. Bunker additionally played drums on two Gary Burton-led albums: Something's Coming! (released 1964 on RCA, recorded 1963) and The Time Machine (released 1966 on RCA).)

Studio Session Career

Recordings with Vocalists and Jazz Artists

Larry Bunker transitioned from live jazz performances to becoming one of the most sought-after studio percussionists and vibraphonists in Los Angeles during the 1950s and 1960s, contributing to a wide array of vocal and jazz recordings. He recorded with prominent vocalists including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, and Sarah Vaughan, as well as jazz artists such as Chet Baker and Stan Getz. Bunker played drums on several Ella Fitzgerald sessions, notably in 1955 with pianist Don Abney, bassist Joe Mondragon, and Fitzgerald on vocals for tracks including "Hard Hearted Hannah" and scat performances like "Ella Hums the Blues." He contributed percussion to Frank Sinatra's Reprise albums, including Ring-a-Ding-Ding! (1961) and Moonlight Sinatra (1966), often alongside arrangers like Nelson Riddle. His vibraphone and percussion work extended to numerous other sessions with arrangers and composers such as Clare Fischer and Bud Shank, enhancing recordings in both jazz and popular vocal formats. These studio contributions highlighted Bunker's versatility across genres, cementing his reputation as a reliable session musician for leading vocalists and instrumentalists.

Film and Television Contributions

Hollywood Percussionist

Larry Bunker established himself as a highly sought-after percussionist in Hollywood, contributing to film and television soundtracks over a span of more than five decades from 1953 to 2004. His first known film credit came on Stalag 17 (1953), while his final contribution was to The Incredibles (2004). During this extensive career, he amassed 367 Music Department credits, most of them uncredited performances as a percussionist. Bunker collaborated with many prominent composers, including John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Henry Mancini, and Miklós Rózsa. His work with Mancini included notable soundtracks such as Hatari!, Charade, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Peter Gunn. He also provided percussion on the project Enter the Dragon scored by Lalo Schifrin. Bunker additionally served as timpanist on more than 30 Academy Awards programs. Later credits highlighted his continued demand in major studio productions, with uncredited percussion contributions to films such as Toy Story 2 (1999), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and The Incredibles (2004). This body of work reflected his versatility and reliability as a session musician in Hollywood's film and television scoring community.

Orchestral and Later Work

Timpani with Los Angeles Philharmonic

Larry Bunker performed timpani with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, demonstrating his ability to excel in classical symphonic settings alongside his primary career in jazz and studio percussion. This role highlighted his remarkable versatility as a percussionist, extending his expertise beyond jazz drums and vibraphone to include the technical and musical demands of orchestral timpani playing in a major symphony orchestra. His work with the Philharmonic paralleled his contributions to film studio sessions, where he similarly applied his broad percussion skills.

Death and Legacy

Passing and Recognition

Larry Bunker passed away on March 8, 2005, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 76. He died from complications of a recent stroke at Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, as confirmed by his wife, Brandyn. Bunker is remembered as a versatile percussionist whose legacy centers on his role in the Bill Evans Trio and his extensive work as a prolific Hollywood session musician. He was regarded as a central figure in the West Coast jazz scene, highly in-demand for his skills as a drummer, vibraphonist, and percussionist across jazz and studio contexts. His standing in the jazz community endures through detailed profiles on AllMusic and All About Jazz, which emphasize his technical proficiency and significant collaborations. His final film credit was as a percussionist on the 2004 animated feature The Incredibles.
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