A fine swing era player who wasn't able to fully switch over to bop, Herbie Fields attended Juilliard from 1936 to 1938, then played with Raymond Scott, Leonard Ware, and Hot Lips Page. He led a band at Fort Dix while in the Army during the early '40s. Fields joined Lionel Hampton's band after his discharge, working with him until 1945 and recording at Carnegie Hall. Then Fields led small groups and big bands from 1944 until 1950, winning Esquire magazine's New Star award in 1945 on alto sax and later recording with Miles Davis. Fields' career declined in the '50s, and he began making straight pop music, moving away from jazz. ~ Ron Wynn