Joe Fields (producer)
Encyclopedia
Joe Fields is an American producer
and record executive, active mainly in jazz
music.
Fields worked for Prestige Records
as an executive in the 1960s. He and producer Don Schlitten
cofounded Cobblestone Records
, a subsidiary of Buddah Records
, in 1972, and soon after founded Muse Records
and its sister label Onyx Records. Schlitten split with Fields in 1978 to found the Xanadu
label, after which Fields held sole control of Muse. Fields later sold Muse to Joel Dorn
, who has released much of Muse's back catalog under the label 32 Jazz
. Fields also owned the rights to the Savoy Records
catalog for a time in the 1980s, having purchased the catalog from Arista Records
, and subsequently selling it to Denon
. (As of 2009, the library is controlled and distributed in the U.S. through Toyko's Columbia Music Entertainment
wholly owned Savoy Jazz label (the current owner of the Savoy Records
masters.)
Fields and his son Barney Fields co-founded HighNote Records
and Savant Records in 1996, which are still actively recording and issuing jazz. The HighNote roster is made up of many of the mainstay Muse artists, like Houston Person
, Joey DeFrancesco
, and Wallace Roney
.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and record executive, active mainly in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music.
Fields worked for Prestige Records
Prestige Records
Prestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
as an executive in the 1960s. He and producer Don Schlitten
Don Schlitten
Don Schlitten was an American jazz record producer.Schlitten founded the label Signal Records in 1955 alongside Harold Goldberg and Jules Colomby. His credits for Signal included work with Duke Jordan, Gigi Gryce, and Red Rodney. Signal was sold to Savoy Records in the late 1950s, and after this...
cofounded Cobblestone Records
Cobblestone Records
Cobblestone Records was an American jazz record label.Cobblestone had two successive incarnations. The early one was in 1968-69 as a singles label, subsidiary of Buddah Records...
, a subsidiary of Buddah Records
Buddah Records
Buddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
, in 1972, and soon after founded Muse Records
Muse Records
Muse Records was an American record label which released jazz and blues music.Muse was founded in the early 1970s by Joe Fields, who had previously worked as an executive for Prestige Records in the 1960s...
and its sister label Onyx Records. Schlitten split with Fields in 1978 to found the Xanadu
Xanadu Records
Xanadu Records was a jazz music record label specializing in bebop throughout the 1970s and 1980s founded by Don Schlitten, recording and issuing recordings by some legendary names in jazz music.-Discography:...
label, after which Fields held sole control of Muse. Fields later sold Muse to Joel Dorn
Joel Dorn
Joel Dorn was an American jazz and R&B music producer and record label entrepreneur. He worked at Atlantic Records, and later founded the 32 Jazz, Label M, and Hyena Records labels...
, who has released much of Muse's back catalog under the label 32 Jazz
32 Jazz
-Discography:...
. Fields also owned the rights to the Savoy Records
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
catalog for a time in the 1980s, having purchased the catalog from Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, and subsequently selling it to Denon
Denon
is a Japanese electronics company that was involved in the early stages of development of digital audio technology, while specializing in the manufacture of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment. For many decades, Denon was a brand name of Nippon-Columbia, including the Nippon...
. (As of 2009, the library is controlled and distributed in the U.S. through Toyko's Columbia Music Entertainment
Columbia Music Entertainment
is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as . It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK Columbia trademarks in 1931. The company changed its name to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. in 1946. It used the Nippon Columbia name until...
wholly owned Savoy Jazz label (the current owner of the Savoy Records
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
masters.)
Fields and his son Barney Fields co-founded HighNote Records
HighNote Records
HighNote Records is an American record label based in New York City, specializing in jazz music.HighNote was founded by Joe Fields, who worked for Prestige Records as an executive in the 1960s and founded Muse Records in the 1970s. He co-founded HighNote and its sister label, Savant Records, in...
and Savant Records in 1996, which are still actively recording and issuing jazz. The HighNote roster is made up of many of the mainstay Muse artists, like Houston Person
Houston Person
Houston Person is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. Person is also known for his distinctive sassy sound and his expressive style of playing...
, Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco is an American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist. Down Beat's Critics and Readers Poll selected him as the top jazz organist every year since 2003.DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania...
, and Wallace Roney
Wallace Roney
Wallace Roney is an American hard bop and post-bop trumpeter.Roney took lessons from Clark Terry and Dizzy Gillespie and studied with Miles Davis from 1985 until the latter's death in 1991...
.