Lessons Learned

Honestly, I knew very little about the history of jazz before entering this class. I had heard of Louis Armstrong. I knew jazz had been an important part of American music history, and I believed it had played a role in influencing other forms of music like rock, hip-hop, and R&B. I also assumed jazz had predominately African-American origins. However, I was surprised that we could trace the evolution of jazz all the way back to Africa. It is amazing that we can see African principles like call-and-response, vital aliveness, and propulsive rhythm alive and vibrant in our music today (Thompson, 9-27). This class also showed me how prominent, long-lived, and influential jazz music has been. I had no idea that it had dominated American music for over half a century, nor that it had evolved so many times (Gioia, 200). It was also enlightening to see why and how these evolutions occurred looking through the lenses of history. Although it should not be surprising, I was impressed by how much culture and history influence music. Before this class I assumed that music influences culture much more than culture influences music; but, now I believe that culture influences music just as much, if not more, than music influences culture.

Before this class, I considered genius to be connected solely to the sciences. In my mind, genius produces increases in economic efficiency - most often through inventions and improvements in existing technology. I suppose that I believed in the existence of musical, literary, and artistic genius like Mozart, Shakespeare, and Michelangelo all demonstrated through their work; however, I never considered "feeling [to be] a form of knowledge. It's not just this mental trip." (lecture 1/24). That simple understanding was an epiphany, and it will probably be my biggest take-away from the course. It is so true. I also never stopped and considered genius to be dependent upon time and space. Samuel Johnson made the argument that genius "is only to be produced by a collision with a proper subject." Although I do not entirely agree with his argument, I do agree more with Professor Stewart's clarification that "genius emerges when it finds its proper context, its proper environment, its proper audience" (lecture 1/29). The setting must be just right in order for invention to occur and genius to manifest itself and be recognized. We have seen this theory demonstrated numerous times throughout the course. For example, in order for jazz to be born, it needed the syncretism and freedom of New Orleans (Gioia, 30-34). Likewise, Miles Davis genius, and Bebop music itself, benefited from a "collision" in New York of 52nd street, Greenwhich Village, Minton's, and Julliards (Lecture 2/21). However, sometimes genius can be manifested outside of its ideal environment; but in this case, it will often lack its proper recognition. Scott Joplin faced this issue when he composed ragtime ballet and opera. "His audience was ill prepared to understand the nature of such hybrid effects" of bringing African-American vernacular music in sync with mainstream traditions of Western composition (Gioia, 27). Despite this, his work was still incredible, and it laid the foundation for the work of many future jazz artists. Hence, genius can be produced at any point in time and space; but, it benefits, and is recognized most, in its ideal context.       

Blog 4: Thelonious Monk

          The community Thelonious Monk grew up in was extremely diverse. He spent his early childhood in a poor, racially conflicted area of New York called San Juan Hill. San Juan Hill was a landmark military victory for the United States in the Spanish-American War where several black Calvary had played a pivotal role in winning the battle. However, the name for the neighborhood was more representative of the common, violent race riots. As Monk alludes to in his quote on page 19, each neighborhood was composed primarily of one ethnic group who was often xenophobic, racist, and overprotective of their turf. Like most blacks in his community, as a child Monk was often forced into fights. Frequently, the police were against Monk's ethnic group and would favor the Irish and Italians in any kind of dispute (Kelley 16-20). These living conditions made Monk tough. He learned to never back down. As Rouse observed, "If [Monk] thinks he's right, he sticks by what he thinks." When he was arrested for no reason in Delaware in 1958, Monk fought back against multiple police officers - even while handcuffed (Kelley 254).

            Although Monk would never back down from a fight when he was in the right, he never went looking for one either, nor did he succumb to provocation. Mostly he would just let racial jests and hurtful comments go, and instead he would respond in a diffusing manner as we see him doing in the quote on page 417. In fact, Thelonious Monk embraced diversity and welcomed people from all backgrounds. In the middle part of his life, one of his greatest friends and allies was Nica - a rich, white baroness. Around the age of 10, Monk moved to one of the Phipps Houses where he absorbed Caribbean music and culture. Furthermore, Monk's first piano teacher was an Austrian-born Jew who taught Monk classical music. The Columbus Hill Neighborhood Center, "a true center of social life for black youth in the neighborhood," and the church became Monk's second home and allowed him to learn and develop more than just his musical abilities with other African-American youths (Kelley 23-29).  These influences profoundly affected Monk's musical style. One can hear elements of each influence in Monk's music. These elements range from the African attacking style, to the Caribbean rhythms in compositions such as "Bye-ya" and "Bemsha Swing," to the discipline and skill derived from rigorous classical training, to the unique dissonance born out of Thelonious' struggle to deal with the unfair and racist world he found himself living in.

            Monk's music fostered an amazing, diverse, Bohemian community - especially in light of the severe racial tensions present in New York at the time. The Five Spot became an important home to Monk. Before he started playing there, the patronage was mostly white males. However, Monk's listeners came from all races, ages, and social statuses. He managed to "turn the Five Spot into the hippest monastery in the Western world" (Kelley 239). Monk's music was the epitome of modernity, and it "embodied the beauty of dissonance" (Lecture 2/28). Famous modern writers and artists like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Willem de Kooning, and Joan Mitchell were often in attendance - sharing their ideas and gaining inspiration from each other and Monk's music (Kelley 227). Although he had some set-backs over the course of his live, overall, Monk did an excellent job coping with extreme prejudice, standing his ground, and producing an art form that brought people together instead of tearing them apart.