Art & Community: San Juan Hill and Leimert Park

Before Thelonious Monk was known across the country as one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, he was a young boy growing up in San Juan Hill. As his prestigious musical talent improved, Monk had to maneuver his way through serious racial violence and prejudice in his community to develop his rich musicality. His childhood surroundings influenced his professional career and musical style, as “the daily violence young people endured in San Juan Hill haunted Thelonious for many years to come” (Kelley, 18). As he got older, having seen and lived with the violent repercussions of racial tensions for years, this background lead him to develop a status as a “race rebel.” He was critical of the idea of black militancy, and refused to respond to racism with a more race conscious outlook. Instead, he worked toward the creation of a community that was brought together despite racial or class boundaries, sharing a common interest in music and art that facilitated the development of a more peaceful and bohemian community. By living a life of music and art, Monk introduced factors that transcended the black/white dichotomy that polarized and militarized members of the community, which allowed for a modern and tolerant oasis of musical culture.

The relationship between art and the communities of jazz musicians facilitates an intensely creative and warm social gathering. Much like Monk’s creation of an artistic community following an upbringing in San Juan Hill, the Leimert Park community also came together over creative expression and jazz in order to create a safer city. Just as the daily racial violence of San Juan Hill influenced Monk’s perspective, so too did the Leimert Park community following the Los Angeles riots and other civil rights era movements. Bound together by tragedy and a common interest in art, jazz facilitated a separate subculture for creative innovation, bringing together community members in an artistic social gathering that transformed the street scene. For example, in Leimert Park’s coffeehouse 5th Street Dick’s, people finally had a place to talk to each other and discuss the community, providing a form and place for people to get together and break down the barriers that would otherwise exist. Once a venue for conversation was created, people could discuss solutions to improve the liveability of the city, all while coming together over a celebration of artistic form.

Music and community build off of each other, each tied to the other in a dynamic and prolific relationship: as the community changes, so does the music, and as the music changes, the creative spaces where music is played influence the community. In his statement “Jazz is New York,” Monk describes the direct connection between musical form and the community of its origin. Just as Monk’s upbringing in San Juan Hill influenced his personal opinions and musical form, or as the community of Leimert Park could come together over jazz for discussion and catharsis, Jazz and New York could not be thought of as separate entities, but instead a mutually creative and productive combination of factors.

Commented on CJ Wilken’s blog.