Herbie Fields (May 24, 1919 in Asbury Park, New Jersey (or possibly -Elizabeth) – September 17, 1958 in Miami, Florida) was a jazz musician. He attended New York's famed Juilliard School of Music (1936–1938) and served in the U.S. Army from 1941–1943.
Whilst at Elizabeth NJ High school symphony orchestra, Herbie played clarinet. In March 1936 he won first prize of week's engagement at Roxy Theater in NYC for alto performance on Fred Allen amateur radio show also got his first professional job small
group roadhouse dates Atlantic coast. He played with Bobby Day as saxman and vocalist in 1938. During a jam session in 1939 ("in a Harlem basement"), Roy Eldridge asked fields if he would mind playing with Leonard Ware's quintet. During 1940 Herbie played with Slam Stewart then joined Raymond Scott's quintet in Chicago until his draft in 1941.
Fields led a band at Fort Dix while in the Army, but didn't record until 1944 when he cut two sides for Bob Thiele's Signature label. Over the next year and a half he recorded for Savoy; notably, he shared a date with Rubberlegs Williams that featured teenaged Miles Davis' recording debut. Fields replaced Earl Bostic, as alto saxophonist in Lionel Hampton's band. Fields was fluent in a variety of reed instruments, from clarinet to baritone saxophone. In 1945, he won Esquire magazine's New Star Award on the Alto
Sax. In 1946, RCA Victor signed Fields as leader of his own big band, a format that was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain in the Post-War period.
Neal Hefti was one of his sidemen along with Bill Evans, Eddie Bert, Bernie Glow, Manny Albam, Al Klink (formally with Glenn Miller), Marty Napoleon and Serge Chaloff. "Dardanella" was his biggest hit. The band was a commercial failure—as were many big bands of the day.
In 1949-1950, he formed his Septet featuring Frank Rosolino on trombone, Jimmy Nottingham on trumpet, Jim Aton on bass, Bill Evans on piano and Tiny Kahn on drums. The band was based in Chicago and backed numerous stage shows, and frequently had Lurlean Hunter on vocals. In the summer of 1950 Fields' group accompanied Billie Holiday on a successful three-month tour of East Coast venues, including the Apollo Theater in Harlem and the Howard Theater in Washington.
In 1953, saxophonist Herbie Fields released "Harlem Nocturne" as a single, then becoming one of the first popular jazz versions. And not long after that came a raft of cover versions by virtually every sax player in the R & B business. According to one source, there may be as many as 500 versions, making it one of the most covered songs in history.
Fields gravitated toward an R& B conception in the fifties, and was disgruntled about his lack of success. Vibist Terry Gibbs noted: We played opposite a nine-piece band led by Herbie Fields at Birdland. He was a good tenor player but not in the bebop style. He was more
of a "honker" and played what they called rhythm and blues. He did that very well but he wasn't a Birdland-style attraction.'"
And pianist Bill Evans recalled: "In some ways he had been a forerunner of rock `n' roll. He was wiggling, jerking. Rock n' roll came, brought millions of dollars, but nothing for Herbie Fields.'"
His recording activity in the fifties was sporadic, and ranged from a few more big band sides, honking jukebox tunes (for Parrot), bop-tinged small groups, and finally a reeds and strings session released after his death by Fraternity. He lived in Miami, and had owned a
restaurant there, the Rancher, in North Miami. He had a trio, himself, Skeets McLane and Cookie Norwood that played at the Rancher.
Depressed over his relative inactivity Fields died following an overdose of sleeping pills at his home in Miami on September 17, 1958 aged 39. In a note addressed to his mother he wrote that he was "despondent over financial and domestic troubles", and ended 'I have completed my mission in life."
