The
community in which one grows up can have a definite impact on an individual’s
artistic expression. Conversely, individuals can have major impact on and shape
the atmosphere of the community that they reside in. Thelonious Monk is a prime example of someone
who was shaped by the community in which his formative growth years took
place. On the other hand, Leimert Park
is a community that was developed and shaped by the community members.
When
Thelonious Monk was a young boy he moved to San Juan Hill with his mother and
sisters. San Juan Hill was a bustling
and crowded part of the city that made Thelonious tough and hard against the
realities of racial tension (Kelley, 18).
San Juan Hill was extremely violent, and there were frequent riots that
were only worsened by the presence of the police (Kelley, 18). Maybe contributing to this constant tension
and conflict was the fact that San Juan Hill was extremely diverse, with black
people from the south, people from the British West Indies, from Cuba, South
America and all over Europe. There was
an immense amount of cultural diversity that went into molding Thelonious Monk
during his time on the Hill (Kelley, 18).
Despite all the conflict, San Juan Hill had a rich music scene, as the
musical styles from all the cultures represented blended and coalesced (Kelley,
19). One of Monk’s peers in from the
neighborhood described San Juan Hill as a village where everyone knew each other,
and recalled that everyone had an instrument (Kelley, 20). In addition to this culturally lush community
that Monk grew up in, his mother, Barbara, was very encouraging to his creative
development. She took her children to
Central Park to see classical music performed, and encouraged that they sang in
her home (Kelley, 22). Monk’s musical
freedom and experimental style are no doubt a product of the community that he
was raised in.
Leimert
Park was a primarily white neighborhood that went through a major, and at
points rough, transition to a stimulating and creative primarily black
community. When real estate
discrimination laws were outlawed, black families began to move into Leimert
Park, which led to riots and destruction in the city. Then an amazing thing happened! Galleries such as Brockman’s Gallery and
creative spaces like 5th Street Dick’s Coffeehouse started to move
into the area. These spaces created a
social scene: a community. Organizations
such as World Stage have been developed in Leimert Park to continue to
encourage people to express themselves in a healthy and creative way.
While
both Kelley’s biography of Thelonious Monk and the film Leimert Park show a connection between art and community, I think
that this connection is slightly different in each case. Thelonious Monk, and the musical genus that
he became, is a product of the community that he grew up in. Leimert Park is a creation of the artists and
people that make up the community. This
being said, this distinction is really a continuum. People are constantly both contributing to
and being influenced by the communities in which they reside.
Commented on Delia's post.
Commented on Delia's post.
San Juan Hill was indeed a tumultuous part of Manhattan, and there is little question that the wide diversity contributed to the tension. I enjoyed how you not only mentioned the vibrant music scene, but also the fact that Monk's mother went to a lot of effort in order to ensure that her son was exposed to the rich culture of the neighborhood. Based on the readings, it seems that Thelonious Monk might never have become known were it not for the positive influence of his mother.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Thelonius Monk was a product of such a violent community, and I believe that having to act as an individual for his career, rather than playing a more communal role such as the musicians in Leimert Park, Monk ultimately developed his own style of Bebop. This is present in many communities that have a lot of racial tension, and I also think that with many other groups attacking him, Monk saw people of all color as individuals to be judged by their characteristics, rather than as a stereotype. This made him assess his own worth as an individual, and eventually allowed him to participate in a dialogue with himself playing the main role.
ReplyDeleteI like how you summarized and pinpointed the connection of art and community in both the Leimert park film and the music of Thelonious Monk with your last paragraph. Especially the last bit, in which you show that the causal forces later add to each other in their development as a "continuum". Great job!
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