Gary Schunk
Piano
Grammy®-nominated pianist Gary Schunk may have been a multifaceted player—he played in a range of musical backdrops from Donna Summer to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra—but make no mistake, he was first and foremost a jazz man.
An intensely studied musician, Gary was a classically trained pianist who gravitated to jazz in the early 1970s. He immersed himself in the style and mastered the elements of technique that are distinctive to the genre.
Gary spent years playing Detroit’s legendary Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, as well as memorable Ann Arbor venues such as The Bird of Paradise Jazz Club, The Earle and the Del Rio.
On the world stage he played with an impressive list of top artists including Joe Williams, Earl Klugh, Kenny Burrell, Anita O’Day, Mark Murphy, Pepper Adams, Terumasa Hino, Dave Valentin, David “Fathead” Newman, Sonny Stitt and many others. He toured worldwide and when internationally-acclaimed jazz greats came to Detroit, Gary was on the top of the call list.
No stranger to a recording studio, he played on more than 30 recordings, including Mark Murphy’s Grammy-nominated tribute to Nat King Cole, as well as albums of his own recordings.
Gary passed away on April 2, 2021. He leaves behind a rich musical legacy, including his remarkable recorded contribution to DCC.