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327:"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."
208:, N.J., he—officially Sgt. Herbert Bernfeld—was leader of a 14-piece swing band. Fields's group received some publicity as the first Army unit of its type, though another also performing in mid-1941 was the 369th's ensemble of African-American musicians, based in
212:. Fields's Fort Dix bandmembers were all veterans of swing bands and Broadway, and the group—officially the "Fort Dix Reception Center Band"—toured military installations on the eastern seaboard and were featured on the WOR/Mutual radio program
347:, 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. Fields ended his life with an overdose of
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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.
335:"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."
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229:, "Fields's last fronting attempt flopped two months ago because, it is alleged, of poor bookings." By the end of 1944, had joined Lionel Hampton's outfit.
236:'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
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Fields gravitated toward an R& B conception in the fifties, and was disgruntled about his lack of success. Vibist Terry Gibbs noted:
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in Miami on
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on a successful three-month tour of East Coast venues, including the Apollo
Theater in Harlem and the Howard Theater in Washington.
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magazine reported his most recent venture, managed by the
William Morris Agency, with arrangements by George Handy. According to
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His recording activity in the fifties was sporadic, and ranged from a few more big band sides, honking jukebox tunes (for
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Quintette and other commercial work while based in New York preceded his Army service stateside. By mid-1941, at
475:"Herbie Fields Dies: Saxophonist and Bandleader is Victim of Sleeping Pills." New York Times, 18 September 1958.
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band. Fields was fluent in a variety of reed instruments, from clarinet to baritone saxophone. In 1945, he won
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Following Fields's military service he made several attempts to mount his own civilian big band. In April 1944
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Hutchens, John K. "Report From the Field on a
Program That Belongs to the Boys Who Appear on It."
180:(Herbert Bernfeld, May 24, 1919 – September 17, 1958) was an American jazz musician. He attended
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on drums. The band was based in
Chicago and backed numerous stage shows, and frequently had
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Beckett, Henry. "They're
Swinging 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' Down Fort Dix Way."
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on vocals. In the summer of 1950 Fields' group accompanied
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232:Fields began recording in 1944 with two sides for
392:"369th Band Took First Honors in Swing Tourney."
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300:In 1949-1950, he formed his Septet featuring
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304:on trombone, Jimmy Nottingham on trumpet,
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418:"Herbie Fields Tries Fronting Again."
188:of Music (1936–38) and served in the
534:20th-century American male musicians
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514:American jazz saxophonists
457:Pettinger, P., Bill Evans.
446:Good Vibes, A Life in Jazz
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489:Big Bands Database Plus
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41:Background information
16:American jazz musician
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192:from 1941 to 1943.
524:RCA Victor artists
433:Pittsburgh Courier
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138:Years active
84:(1958-09-17)
56:May 24, 1919
509:1958 deaths
504:1919 births
444:Gibbs, T.,
275:Manny Albam
271:Bernie Glow
242:Earl Bostic
238:Miles Davis
117:Band leader
65:Asbury Park
35:c.June 1946
498:Categories
355:References
295:Dardanella
267:Eddie Bert
263:Bill Evans
259:Neal Hefti
253:magazine's
234:Bob Thiele
182:New York's
159:RCA Victor
151:Fraternity
142:1940s-1958
69:New Jersey
52:1919-05-24
420:Billboard
310:Tiny Kahn
227:Billboard
222:Billboard
190:U.S. Army
167:Signature
306:Jim Aton
279:Al Klink
206:Fort Dix
131:Clarinet
113:Musician
95:Big Band
251:Esquire
103:R&B
341:Parrot
289:, and
196:Career
184:famed
155:Parrot
147:Labels
91:Genres
61:Origin
345:Miami
163:Savoy
99:Jazz
79:Died
73:U.S.
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