The Brent White Sextet to Play the Music of Francis 'Frank' Johnson at Chris' Jazz Cafe

Philadelphia trombonist, composer, and scholar Brent White will bring a bold reimagining of early Black American music to Chris’ Jazz Café on Tuesday, June 10 with Code-Switching—a dynamic jazz suite inspired by the compositions of Francis “Frank” Johnson (1792–1844), the first prominent Black composer and musician in the United States. Set times are at 7:30 and 9 p.m. Admission is $15.

A legendary bandleader in 19th-century Philadelphia, Johnson was one of the earliest Black musicians to achieve international recognition, performing for both Black and white audiences during a time when more than 85% of the Black American population was still enslaved. His ensembles often played the same compositions differently depending on the audience—a nuanced musical adaptation that White frames as musical code-switching. This ability to navigate cultural and racial boundaries through performance lies at the heart of Code-Switching.

With no existing recordings of Johnson’s music, White draws from the composer’s surviving published scores, hand-copied parts, and piano sketches, reinterpreting them through the expressive language of modern jazz—improvisation, polyrhythm, and swing. In doing so, he reclaims the missing rhythmic vitality, improvisation, groove, and call-and-response sensibility that scholars like Eileen Southern argue were likely jazz-like motifs present in Johnson’s live performances but lost through the editorial filter of white publishers.

The result is Code-Switching: a historically rooted, forward-looking suite that breathes new life into Johnson’s social music—his ballroom waltzes, parade marches, and cotillions—by restoring their cultural complexity and emotional depth. The performance will feature new jazz arrangements of Johnson’s celebrated works “Battle of New Orleans” and “Lafayette Ball,” which represent the culmination of White’s research as a 2022 Innovation Fellow at the Library Company of Philadelphia.

The Brent White Sextext features Brent White on trombone; Todd Bashore, alto sax and flute; Adam Faulk on piano; Jason Fraticelli on bass; Pablo Batista on percussion; and Wayne Smith Jr. on drums.

Dinner & Show packages (including the 3-course chef tasting menu), VIP, and General Admission tickets are on sale now for all shows (beverages, tax & gratuity not included). Please check Chris’ Jazz Café’s website for prices and arrival times. All tickets are premium seating. Streaming is also available on Chris’ YouTube channel: @ChrisJazzCafePhilly. There are also plenty of gift items in the Chris’ Jazz Café merchandise store – from t-shirts and stemware to masks and matches: https://www.chrisjazzcafe.com/products.

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