Carl Donnell "Kansas" Fields (December 5, 1915,

Chapman, Kansas Chapman is a city in Dickinson County, Kansas, Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,377. History The first settlement was made at Chapman in 1868, and the ...

– March 7, 1995,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

drummer. Fields played in Chicago from the late 1920s, and worked with King Kolax and

Jimmie Noone James "Jimmie" Noone (April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. After beginning his career in New Orleans, he led Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, a Chicago band that recorded for Vocalion and Decca ...

in the 1930s. In 1940, he joined

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...

's group for a year; he returned to play with Eldridge again later in the 1940s. He briefly led his own ensemble and played with

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

and

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

before joining the

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the war, he played with

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

Claude Hopkins Claude Driskett Hopkins (August 24, 1903 – February 19, 1984) was an American jazz stride pianist and bandleader. Biography Claude Hopkins was born in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Historians differ in respect of the actual date of his ...

Sidney Bechet Sidney Joseph Bechet ( ; May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important Solo (music), soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Ar ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

(recording with Gillespie in 1951), and Eldridge again before the close of the decade. He led another group of his own early in the 1950s, then played with

Mezz Mezzrow Milton Mesirow (November 9, 1899 – August 5, 1972), better known as Mezz Mezzrow, was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist from Chicago, Illinois. He is remembered for organizing and financing recording sessions with Tommy Ladnier ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

in 1953. Fields stayed in Europe for more than a decade; he relocated to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and worked as a sideman. In 1965, he returned to Chicago, working once more with Gillespie and doing studio work.

Discography

With

*'' Dee Gee Days: The Savoy Sessions'' (Savoy, 1951-52

976 Year 976 ( CMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * January 10 – Emperor John I Tzimiskes dies at Constantinople, after returning from a second campaign against ...

*'' Jambo Caribe'' (Limelight, 1964) With various artists *'' Mel Powell, Swingin' Clarinets'' (London, Commodore Series, 1942) *'' Eddie Condon, The Town Call Concert'' (JZCL, 1944) *'' Jonah Jones, Swing De Paris'' (Fremeaux & Associes, 1946) *'' Jonah Jones, The Engine Room - A History Of Jazz Drumming From Storyville to 52nd Street'' (Proper, 1946) *'' Cab Calloway, Hep Cats And Cool Jive'' (Fuel, 1946) *'' Soul Sister Vol. 3 Sister Rosetta Tharpe'' (MCA, 1949) *'' Lionel Hampton w/Milton Mezzaow Vol. 2'' (Blue Star, 1950's) *'' Teddy Wilson, Piano Moods'' (Philips, 1950) *'' Budd Johnson, The Chronogical'' (Classics, 1951) *'' Joe Williams, Sings'' (Savoy Jazz, 1951) *'' Buck Clayton Quintet/Gene Sedric and his Group'' (Vogue, 1953) *'' Buck Clayton and Wild Bill Davidson, Singing Trumpets'' (Jazztone, 1953) *'' Mary-Lou Williams, et ses formations'' (Club Francais du Disque, 1954) *'' Albert Nicholas, New Orleans Parade Vol. 1 & Vol. 2'' (Vogue, 1955) *'' Mezz Mezzrow, Recorded In Paris'' (Disques Swing, 1955) *'' William "Big Bill" Broonzy'' (Columbia, 1956) *'' Sidney Bechet, Recorded in Concert at Brussels Fair'' (Columbia, 1958) *'' Sidney Bechet & Teddy Buckner, "Bravo!"'' (Vogue, 1958) *'' Sarah Vaughan w/Quincy Jones, Misty'' (Mercury, 1958) *'' Coleman Hawkins, Disorder At The Border'' (Milian, 1962) *'' Americans in Europe Vol. 2'' (Impulse!, 1963) *''

Errol Parker Errol Parker (né Raphaël Schecroun; 30 October 1925 – 2 July 1998) was a French-Algerian jazz pianist who played with Django Reinhardt, James Moody, Don Byas and Kenny Clarke, among others. Born in Oran, French Algeria, Raphaël Schecroun ...

'' (Brunswick, 1963) *'' Memphis Slim, The Memphis Slim Story'' (Vogue, 1963) *'' Bud Powell In Paris'' (Discovery, 1963) *'' Floyd McDaniel, Let Your Hair Down!'' (Delmark, 1994) *'' Little Brother Montgomery and the Jazz All Stars'' (FM Records, 2001)

References

;Footnotes ;General references *

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar wh ...

Kansas Fields Carl Donnell "Kansas" Fields (December 5, 1915, Chapman, Kansas – March 7, 1995, Chicago, Illinois) was an American jazz drummer. Fields played in Chicago from the late 1920s, and worked with King Kolax and Jimmie Noone in the 1930s. In 194 ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fields, Kansas 1915 births 1995 deaths American jazz drummers Drummers from Kansas 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians