* En anglais uniquement
John Bunch had a long and distinguished career even if his abilities as an accompanist and supportive player sometimes led to him being taken for granted. He started on piano when he was 11 and within a year was playing in local clubs.
Bunch, a flexible pianist who was most inspired by
Teddy Wilson, generally played locally until working with the big bands of
Woody Herman (1956-1957),
Benny Goodman, and
Maynard Ferguson (1958) when he was already in his mid-thirties.
Bunch worked in the small groups of
Buddy Rich,
Al Cohn/
Zoot Sims, and
Gene Krupa (1961-1964), was a member of
Rich's 1966 big band, and accompanied
Tony Bennett during 1966-1972. Off and on with
Goodman during the '60s and '70s,
Bunch also recorded five albums as a leader during 1975-1977 for Famous Door, Chiaroscuro (an exquisite solo piano set of
Kurt Weill compositions later reissued on CD), and Progressive.
From the 1980s into the 2000s,
John Bunch was often employed by young mainstream stars such as
Scott Hamilton and
Warren Vache and recorded for Concord, Chiaroscuro, and Arbors. His well-received recordings during the 2000s included
A Special Alliance (2002, Arbors);
An English Songbook (2003, Chiaroscuro); Tony's Tunes (2003, Chiaroscuro);
At the Nola Playhouse: Salutes Jimmy Van Heusen (2006, Arbors); and Plays the Music of Irving Berlin (Except One) (2008, Arbors). With
Bucky Pizzarelli and
Jay Leonhart,
Bunch also co-led
New York Swing (a group also sometimes known as the John Bunch Trio), the band with which he played his last gig on March 11, 2010.
Bunch appeared in many solo concerts during his life, including Carnegie Hall and most of the world's capitals, and made many television appearances in the U.S. and abroad. He conducted the bands of
Duke Ellington,
Woody Herman,
Count Basie, and
Buddy Rich, along with
the London Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and
the Cleveland Orchestra. His original compositions have been recorded by
Benny Goodman,
Woody Herman,
Joe Morello, and
Warren Vache, Jr. John Bunch died of melanoma in Manhattan on March 30, 2010, at the age of 88. ~ Scott Yanow