John Bunch

John Bunch
Dick Sheridan and John Bunch, 2007
Background information
Born	(1921-12-01)December 1, 1921 Tipton, Indiana, U.S.
Died	March 30, 2010(2010-03-30) (aged 88) New York City
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Piano
Associated acts	Tony Bennett, Kenny Davern, Maynard Ferguson

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

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

During World War II he enlisted in the Air Corps and became a bombardier on a B17 Flying Fortress. He and his ten-man crew were transferred to combat duty in England, flying bombing missions over Germany. His plane was shot down 2 November 1944 and Bunch was taken prisoner. In 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 couldn't sight read classical music. 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. He settled in New York in 1958, where he joined Eddie Condon and Maynard Ferguson. He recorded with Ferguson and many smaller groups.

In 1966 Bunch joined Tony Bennett as pianist and musical director, and stayed in the employ of the singer until 1972. 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. He led a trio, mostly in England, and made many recordings as a leader, most notably with the New York Swing Trio with Bucky Pizzarelli and Jay Leonhart.