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Larry Bunker
Born in Long Beach, California, Bunker was a central figure on the West Coast jazz scene, one of a relative 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.
Bunker was also a prolific Hollywood studio musician. He worked on movie soundtracks for 51 years. He played with Henry Mancini on such great soundtracks as Hatari!, Charade, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Peter Gunn. Other credits include Stalag 17, A Boy and His Dog, The Incredibles and The Truth About Cats and Dogs, One From The Heart. Bunker played with the Bill Evans Trio. The band appeared on the TV series BBC Jazz 625. He also appeared with two different bands on the TV series Frankly Jazz.
Larry Bunker was featured along with seven of the west coast ajzz greats on the Mancini soundtrack Hatari!. The opening eight minute Rhino cahse scene has the percussionist playing exocitic African drums and Larry is hear on marimbas, The Sounds of Hatari and on Theme From Hatari follwed on vibes the sexy The Soft Side.
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Bill Evans: Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964)
by Mike Jurkovic
Maybe it is and maybe it isn't as historical in scope as some of the previous ten archival Bill Evans releases from that master of jazz discovery, Zev Feldman, and Evans' estate, but Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964) is sure fire proof you got nothing but the best on any given night at any given gig by Evans and his cohorts. From the get go, this set--recorded by Evans, bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker at Danish ...
read moreBill Evans: Duos With Jim Hall & Trios '64 & '65 Revisited
by Chris May
Although the evidence is circumstantial, it is more than possible that Bill Evans' collaborations with Jim Hall came about through proximity to George Russell. Even Alan Douglas, the producer of the duo's first album, did not claim credit for the liaison; and Douglas, who the same year brought together Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach, was not shy about coming forward with similar (questionable) claims. Evans was the first to meet Russell when, in late 1955, ...
read moreBill Evans: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans: A Career Retrospective (1956 - 1980)
by Chris May
Only occasionally do classy looking limited-edition box sets prove to be a triumph of style and substance. Too often they are undermined by cheapskate packaging, over elaborate design, poorly written and researched booklets, inadequate session details or, most egregiously, bizarre (in a bad way) track selections. So it is a more than pleasant surprise when something comes along which succeeds, and succeeds magnificently, on all those fronts. Such an item is Concord Records' Craft imprint's Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans: ...
read moreGary Burton on Larry Bunker
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
As one of Hollywood's most in-demand percussionists, Larry Bunker recorded hundreds of jazz and soundtrack albums. But always as a sideman. Remarkably, Bunker recorded just one album as a leader: Larry Bunker Quartette: Live at Shelly's Manne-Hole, in December 1963. Recorded first and then picked up by the Vault label in Los Angeles in 1965, the album featured Gary Burton (vib), Mike Wofford (p), Bob West (b) and Larry Bunker (d). The sound of these four musicians playing together is ...
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Weekend Extra: Larry Bunker's Dream
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Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
Larry Bunker's versatile drumming, vibes playing and skill as an all-'round percussionist put him in demand by jazz players, symphony conductors, film and television studios, and singers. He worked with an array of artists that included Gerry Mulligan, Pierre Boulez, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland, Dizzy Gillespie, Gary Burton and Michael Tilson Thomas. In the mid-sixties, Bunker (1928-2005) took time to fill an ambition. For years, he had dreamed of playing with Bill Evans, and for a year or so left ...
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