Larry Bunker

Larry Bunker (actually Lawrence Benjamin Bunker; * November 4, 1928 in Long Beach, California, † March 8, 2005 in Los Angeles ) was an American jazz drummer and vibraphonist.

Life

Larry Bunker taught himself piano, accordion and saxophone. While serving in the U.S. Army, he was a drummer and pianist of an army band. After returning to California in 1948, he worked with Howard Rumsey.

In 1953 he became the drummer Chico Hamilton 's successor at the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. In the following years he worked with musicians such as Stan Getz, Warne Marsh, Clare Fischer, Gary Burton, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Barney Kessel and Art Pepper and escorted 1955-1960 with pianist Jimmy Rowles singers Peggy Lee (eg. of Black Coffee ) and Billie Holiday, as on the album Music for Torching.

With his own band, he released three albums in the early 1960s. In 1962 he played with Bud Shank. From 1963 to 1964 he was a member of the trio of Bill Evans. In the following years he worked mainly as a studio musician with Henry Mancini, Neal Hefti, Johnny Mandel and Nelson Riddle.