A Personal Learning Experience

Before this class started, my thoughts on the history of jazz were abstract and limited. I wanted to take this class because I did not know why I seemed to like some jazz songs as opposed to others. I simply thought of jazz as one style of music that originated in the South in the early 1900’s. The only familiar name to me was Louis Armstrong and I figured he became famous with his supposed talent with a well-known jazz instrument, the saxophone. That assumption was clearly wrong, since he primarily played with the trumpet and cornet (Gioia 49, 56). Knowing my brief amount of knowledge on the subject, I decided to read in advance, the first hundred pages of Gioia’s The History of Jazz book. It was difficult to keep track of the vast information that was given. There were several artists’ names and musical technical terms that were completely foreign to me. I was unable to grasp most of the key concepts that Gioia was trying to portray. This was partly due to the fact that I had not listened to any of the music.

I have learned that the development of jazz has the inherent ability to grow by adopting musical idioms and reflecting the social context of its surroundings. This ability stems from one of the indigenous traditions of African music, Call and Response. This social concept takes on several different forms. Put simply, this ability to react to one’s environment by different methods is one of the most critical aspects of jazz.

Musicians reacted with each other to create a conversation and emotional communication within their music. This is transcended in songs such as Duke Ellington’s Creole Love Call (Gioia 121-122) and Dizzy Gillespie’s “Salt Peanuts” (Lecture 2/19). Musicians responding to each other to create unique rhythms through improvisation show a great deal of talent. Jazz songs can send powerful messages too, as seen by Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” (Lecture 2/14) and Alan Lomax’s work song, “Take This Hammer” (Lecture 1/17). “Strange Fruit” calls against the racial injustices of lynching in the South and “Take This Hammer” rebels against the oppression of slave labor. These are two of countless examples showing racism as a social discourse (an important influence on the expression of jazz musicians) in American music. Racial segregation and oppression often propelled musicians to express themselves through music. Jazz music can also surmount to any degree of emotional communication, from the blues, Miles Davis’ “Blue Room” to the upbeat swing song, “Sing Sing Sing” by Benny Goodman.

A fundamental aspect of Call and Response in jazz is its ability to evoke dance and entertain its audiences. This cross-fertilization between music and dance stems from the African tradition of vital aliveness in performance and can be seen throughout the history of jazz. This communication between the performer and audience allows music to change and improve, which also provided a means of social integration. As early as the 1900’s, New Orleans saw dance movements become popular with jazz. “In addition to concert and march music, the ensembles also knew a range of quadrilles, polkas, schottisches, mazurkas, two-steps, and other popular dance styles.” (Gioia 33). Most of these dances were European though. Before 1910, mainstream social dancing in America relied primarily on European dances such as waltzes, gallops, polkas, jigs, and quadrilles (Gioia 106). Often these dances would be carried out in the early 1920’s at the Dreamland Ballroom, Lincoln Gardens, and the Sunset Café, which were considered sanctuaries of dance and music in Chicago (Lecture 1/29). By 1914, new dance steps were becoming widespread, often through the playing of jazz music.

On a more general level, the styles of jazz reflect the historical and cultural context of a city that it developed in. This could be considered a culmination of call and responses from individuals to their surroundings. This signifies an overall trend among them. New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, fostered a blend of African traditional music (work songs, blues, and spirituals) with European styles of music. New Orleans as a melting pot of ethnic diversity and economic trade provided the proper environment to formulate the new genre of music, Jazz (Gioia 30). Once people migrated northward, jazz became a significant role in the music industry (by providing incentives of financial gain and fame for musicians) in cities such as Chicago and New York. Jazz’s shift towards Swing in the 1930’s came from the “popular music and dance that were sweeping in New York” (Gioia 107). Swing in New York provided entertainment to a large amount of people when they really needed it, during the Great Depression. Bebop, the rebellion against swing was also a call and response. It rejected most of the values that swing represented such as the big band, fame, and wealth. Bebop tended towards a more sophisticated approach and regarded itself as a highly respected style of art. It was more reflective than it was danceable. The tiny spaces in these cafés where Bebop was played reflect its style of small bands (Miles 55).

The ability of jazz to host interaction between musicians and their audiences with communication, dance, and emotion allowed it to change and transcend American culture. I am glad I have taken this course because now I can fully enjoy this culturally rich and diverse genre of American music. I even discovered my favorite jazz artist and style, Miles Davis and cool jazz.

An Authentic Sound

Thelonious Monk grew up in the proper environment that was needed for him to develop his musical talent. This place, San Juan Hill, was a heavily populated, diverse, and racially tense neighborhood in New York City. As said by Monk himself, one could walk over to the next block and end up in another country (Kelly 19).  Race riots that occurred (such as the one in May, 1917) resembled a war between country boundaries. However, patriotism was no longer a separating factor for people here; instead it was language and culture. Violence became more of an individualized matter. People would personally insult others on the street. As Monk witnessed himself, “the Southern blacks called West Indians ‘monkey chasers,’ and we often referred to Southern blacks as ‘possum eaters.’” (Kelly 18). A Chinese restaurant on 59^th and Columbus called Far East would not allow African-Americans to dine inside. Victims of this racial prejudice would retaliate by standing outside chanting “Chinaman, Chinaman, eat dead rats.” (Kelly 19). These racial tensions affected the daily lives of those who lived there. This was reflected in the works of Thelonious Monk, who expressed himself as an individual.

San Juan Hill was saturated with just as much violence as it was with musical culture. This neighborhood had a strong sense of community that would often have people bound together through music. Monk’s mother, Barbara, made sure her children went to church, where music was often played. They attended Union Baptist where Monk would learn various hymns which inspired him at an early age. Barbara had a profound influence on her son’s life by exposing him to the city’s rich culture such as Edwin Franko Goldman’s sixty-piece orchestra that performed in Central Park and the Columbus Hill Neighborhood Center (Kelly 22). In addition, without the strong sense of community of San Juan Hill, “a lady” may have never been compelled to give a piano to the Monk family, which forever altered the life of Thelonious (Kelly 24).

Thelonious Monk did not exhibit dominative signs of social activism. This is shown by his statement, “There’s no reason why I should go through that Black Power shit now. I guess everybody in New York had to do that, right?” (Kelly 19). He would primarily influence society by fighting against wrongdoings on an individual level. This character trait of him is seen when at the age of sixteen, he stood up against a group of kids who were about to attack his soon-to-be friend, Sonny (Kelly 33).  

With America’s rationale in fighting for democracy in WWII, people quickly became aware of their own hypocrisy. There was still segregation and racial tension in society. People would often protest against this unfairness and music proved to be one of the few peaceful means of achieving this. For example, Lionel Hampton claims that the song “Hey Pa Pa Rebob” signified the desire to destroy prejudice and discrimination (Lecture 2/28). However, Monk has a passive-aggressive, yet non-violent style of music. As seen in his song “Blue Monk” he plays his notes sharply and aggressively. He defies normal conventions of piano playing by crossing his hands on the keyboard for a good amount of time. (Youtube, Thelonious Monk - Blue Monk).  Monk would distinguish himself further in an ironic way by standing up next to the piano and let others play their solos. He would even set his elbow on the keyboard to create loud noises that would rival those of a cymbal. (Discussion 2/26).

In 1958, Monk was arrested for unintentionally breaking a Jim Crow law that was still active in the state of Delaware. He was confronted by the police just for being a black man out late with a white woman and an expensive car. Monk rebelled with every ounce of his soul. Unfortunately, this did lead to violence and his arrest. This “strategy” against his detainment had no sign of submission. “If they told him to sit down, he stood up. If they told him to say something, he said nothing” (Kelly 254). This incident deeply affected him as an individual and led him to act in this defying manner. His ability to maintain the style of his music (by not responding to racial conflict) shows his strength and ability to transcend racial tensions.

Monk’s art that epitomized modernism was capable of fostering a unique community. It was a bohemian community which emphasized the artist, intellectual, and avant-garde. Monk was even seen as a religious or sacred figure by his listeners. According to his audience, he had an abstract quality and authentic Negro sound (Kelly 232). His music defined modern jazz.