Blog 4

            Music and art can rise from the rubble of violence and cruelty. The development of jazz and black culture in both San Juan Hill and Leimert Park both came from a place of social unrest and racial prejudice. Thelonious Monk was exposed to this unrest at a young age; he grew up fighting against prejudice and used music as an escape from these sufferings developing his own style and finding peace on stage. Community brings people together nurturing a sense of culture and connection between its individuals; this connection in society produces art as a byproduct of the group’s struggles and victories.

            San Juan Hill was one of the largest black communities in New York during the early 1900’s. Due to its high black occupation, urban city center, and inherent prejudice by the non-black population a strong sense of community developed between the black populations. With this community came a sense of culture and political structure prompting upheaval against white injustices. San Juan Hill became a melting pot of cultures, from the Caribbean to the black South. Church was the glue that held San Juan Hill together and organized religion was incredibly important to the development of the San Juan Hill community. This blending of cultures helped to bring different characteristics to the community through music, art, and ideas. Jazz and Thelonious Monk’s music paralleled this hybrid community through his blending of cultural sounds and his reputation as the “High Priest of Bebop” (Kelley 232).

            San Juan Hill shaped Monk’s music in many ways. His incorporation of bohemian sounds and his connection to authentic, black culture helped to develop and tune his unique and lasting sound. “Monk’s brand of thinking comes from the soul and the blood rather than the mind, tapping into a well of racial memory that keeps the music pure, authentic, and black” (Kelley 233). Growing up in a strong, black community kept Monk loyal to the racial sound that filled the streets and paralleled traditional black sound. Monk brought an air of colloquialism to the jazz scene; between songs and sets he would dance and drink, “approaching the bohemian art world with a sense of humor and curiosity” (Kelley 233).  As a child, Monk was surrounded by music. This allowed him to feel at home while performing and explains his casual nature at time and ability to freely explore his musical expression and abilities. Monk’s mother would routinely expose her children to music of the city, “ frequently [taking] them to Central Park in the summer to hear Edwin Franko Goldman sixty piece orchestra perform classic works by European and African composers” (Kelley 22). Growing up in the metropolitan city of New York helped to nurture Monk’s passion and talent for music. His early exposure fostered a mastery of sound for New York jazz. Coming from a place of violence and opposition—fighting as a black child against white oppression— Monk believed there was “no reason why [he] had to go through that Black Power shit now” (Kelley 19). Monk separated himself from this political activism and instead embodied happiness and musical innovation and genius. He made music for its musical quality incorporating styles from different races and creating sounds that made him a renowned artist to this day. Jazz embodied the New York man; it was a cultural hybrid of sounds demanding to be heard and acknowledged.

            As San Juan Hill grew from political unrest to a hub of cultural expression Leimert Park followed a similar growth. The growth of both urban centers parallel each other beginning with social unrest and race riots progressing to become a center of cultural expression and art. Leimert Park began as a white-dominated neighborhood and eventually gave way to one of the largest black middle class cities in the United States. In response to this transition, many white citizens acted violently and cruelly eventually leading to racial unrest and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Rising from the violence came the development of Leimert park as an iconic center of jazz; to this day the 5^th Street Dick’s is known for their hot coffee and even hotter jazz performances and poetry slams. With the development of businesses and groups that helped to foster music and jazz in Leimert park led to its revolution as a center of violence and racial conflict to a hot spot for jazz and art.

            Community plays a large role in the development of jazz musicians. The musician’s adolescence can shape their talents and goals as an artist. Many artists are known to bring their social and cultural struggles from their life into their music expressing their beliefs on cultural and social struggles. In addition, a musician’s economic status can help or hinder their growth as an artist allowing them to receive professional training and exposure to music and art at a young age. A community can hinder or nurture the growth of an artists; it is through the growth from childhood to adulthood that individuals gain experiences, talents, and opinions on the world. A community can be the spark that ignites an individual’s musical genius or mitigates its growth.