This is a complete shock to me. I had not listened to the jazz station very much in these latter years but, whenever I did, it was always a treat to hear Sam Fields. I went on the air after Sam Fields every night for four years at 88.1 FM KKJZ. Sam was a gentle and quiet soul. Not because he was shy, quite the contrary. Sam spent his time thinking and listening to what people were saying above, below and between the lines. I got to know Sam quite well and you have to get to know him well to truly enjoy and appreciate the humor and knowledge that he possessed.

Sam pretty much kept to himself and played some of the most classic jazz music on the air. He had a great laugh and every night he had a story to tell me about some musician or some incident that happened back in the day, followed by a chuckle that was unforgettable.

Sam always knew what he wanted to play. I used to know which artist I wanted to play but, Sam knew the artist, the song and which album it was on. I would be talking with him in the studio while a tune was playing. There might be 20 seconds left before the song was over and Sam would comfortably get up, go into the other room where the library was located, grab the disc that he wanted, walk back in the studio, take the disc out and look at it for a second, pop it in the player, hit the tune that he wanted and it would be as smooth and seamless as ever. No sweat for a man that was in the business way before I could even utter the word jazz.

Playing jazz in the late hours and in the wee early morning is a special time. Most of the world is asleep and it is so cerebral to spend the time with just you and the music. It is a time to reflect on life and express that reflection through jazz music. Sam had many years and an arsenal of jazz knowledge. His absence and even-toned sound and style of selecting the music will be missed and will once again historically alter the sweet sound of jazz music on the radio.

We all owe Sam Fields a great debt of gratitude for a lifetime service of providing us with the sounds of music that we all know and love today.

I have been asked to be a Pall Bearer at Sam's transition into the after lifeand I can't think of a more special honor than that.  I was in New York City when the great Little Niles took the A train to the Jazz Central Station. I know when Sam arrives, Chuck and all of our wonderful beautiful musicians and lovers of this music will be there at the station waiting with a warm welcome.

LeRoy Downs

Services for
 
Announcer/Braodcaster,Sam
 
Fields are open to the public
 
and will be held this Friday
 
September 30th at 1pm :

Spalding Mortuary
 
3045 S La Brea Ave (at Jefferson Blvd)
 
Los Angeles, CA 90016
 
(323) 934-1181


 

Sam Fields, 55; Noted DJ

By Valerie Nelson, Times Staff Writer  9/25/05

Sam Fields, a disc jockey at KKJZ-FM (88.1) who had been bringing his blues-influenced taste in jazz to the Los Angeles airwaves since 1972, has died. He was 55.

Fields, who did not show up for his Thursday afternoon shift at the radio station, was found dead by police Friday at his North Hollywood home. No other details were immediately available.

"It's a terrible shock and loss," said Saul Levine, the president and general manager of KMZT-FM (105.1) who gave Fields his first break in jazz radio at the pioneering KBCA-FM in 1972. "He contributed so much to the field of jazz."

His taste in music was "never wavering and instantly recognizable," said Payal Kumar, broadcast director at KKJZ-FM, which is based at Cal State Long Beach. "There was nobody better."

"People always commented on Sam's choice in music, and how it elevated the station as a whole," she said.

When Levine finally had an opening for a disc jockey, he couldn't locate Fields' contact information. Instead, he found Fields working behind the counter at a deli on West 3rd Street and said, "I have a job for you."

Fields was also heard on other local radio stations, including KROQ, KLAC and KMET. His personal jazz favorites included Wes Montgomery, Bud Powell, Dexter Gordon, Wayne Shorter and Horace Silver.

Fields, who was a private man, never showed anger or dissatisfaction, Levine said.

"He was one of the nicest persons we ever had working with us," he said.

When KKJZ-AM switched to classical music in 1990, the Long Beach station, which was then KLON-FM, hired Fields and another of its jazz institutions, Chuck Niles, who died last year.

Reached during his first shift in 1990, Fields told The Times, "It's a little bit different, but I'm enjoying it." A Jimmy Smith number was playing in the background.

Fields' survivors include two sisters, a brother, a niece and a nephew.