Glass Ceilings, not just hovering over women's heads.

Miles Davis had many of the same struggles as other jazz musicians of his time; he did drugs, struggled as an artist, and had to continuously push racial boundaries. One of the struggles he mentions continuously through his Auto Biography is white jazz critics. Critics put down every new development in Jazz until it became popular, then they would claim to be the ones who discovered it. This struggle with white critics is a reflection of larger pressing racial issues. As the African American population gained more and more freedoms the White population tried to maintain more and more control. As jazz became more and more popular white musicians went from disregarding jazz and not even music, to playing it themselves, and they went from condemning jazz musicians to claiming to be the ones that discovered them. Davis discusses this when talking about the beginning of bebop, 

“After bebop became the rage, white music critics tried to act like they discovered it-and us-down on 52nd Street. That kind of dishonest shit makes me sick to my stom-ach. And when you speak out on it or don't go along with this racist bullshit, then you become a radical, a black troublemaker. Then they try to cut you out of everything. But the musicians and the people who really loved and respected bebop and the truth know that the real thing happened up in Harlem, at Minton's.” (pg. 56)
Not only did critics try to take claim for what wasn't theirs, but they would ruin the images of any artist who tried to argue. African American artists were constantly under the thumb of white society, but it they tried to ask for equality they were looked down on as radicals, stuck under the glass ceiling of racism but pressed right up against it.

I sang in a jazz choir in high school and was very interested in the culture and music. I sang countless jazz songs and studied the style but I never realized how large a part racial issues played. I never really thought about jazz as the scene of a racial struggle. I also assumed that jazz was always cool. I never thought it was looked down on by classically trained musicians and critics. The image you get from seeing Louis Armstrong sing with Barbra Streisand in Hello Dolly, hearing Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra songs in every wedding playlist and romantic movie, and looking at art deco style paintings of jazz bands, is that Jazz artists were the trendsetters and icons of their time. This they were, but this was in spite of constantly pushing against the glass ceiling of racism. With this in mind, the development of jazz is that much more impressive.

What conditions does it take to grow a Thelonious Monk?

The San Juan Hill community was built on the backs of hard working, lower class, African American’s. Much of the housing had horrible conditions and people were continuously getting sick. The areas were predominantly African American but there were some areas that had white populations and these created gangs. With the constant turmoil created by gangs and the political issues of the time race riots became common. Leimert Park shares many of these characterizes but in a modern sense. The movie portrait Leimert Park as a lower class neighborhood, troubled by gangs and race riots. The two areas also had diversity in their communities that was showcased by music performances. The cities were, sanctuaries small units, which had a unique culture and fostered close relationships between the members. Monk’s wife described, “It was like a little village. Everybody knew everybody.” (pg. 20) There were large block parties showcasing all the different styles of music that the community brought.(pg. 23)This sense of community played a large part in the development of Monk’s musical talent. His teachers, audiences, and competition were his neighbors. He was well known throughout his town; even from about 11 years old it was clear that he was going to be a star. This intimate community fostered Jazz in the sense that it was everywhere. With budding musicians like Monk, his siblings, and Seifield Gordon Heath, the competition between the students was the talk of the town and with undiscovered stars like Alberta Simmons playing at local venues; Jazz was in everyone’s life. (pg.27) This sense of community and sanctuary is part of what makes people identify New York with Jazz. New York Jazz was not just this sanctuary of the block parties, rent parties, and small communities, but also the Clubs, the stage and the opportunities that were not available anywhere else at this time.

This same sense of community is a recurring theme in the development of Jazz. Community fosters creativity and allows for close competition, which pushes artists towards innovation. At the same time, music creates community. In the video about Leimert Park they describe how the number of people at the café increased exponentially when they started having live music at night. People are naturally drawn to music and have a high respect for it. Even the gangs had such high respect for music that they made Leimert Park off limits, allowing everyone to enjoy the music in peace.