Composer Jonathan Whitney Releases “Cooch’s Bridge: The African-American Presence” on September 3, 2026

Jonathan Whitney’s latest album “Cooch’s Bridge: The African-American Presence” is the second suite of four works inspired by the historic site now operated by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Whitney has translated the history of the people and events at Cooch’s Bridge Historic Site into exceptional and emotional musical pieces to energize the next generation of people to learn about the site.

In “The African-American Presence,” the Newark-born, Wilmington-based drummer, bandleader, educator and self-described “Artivist,” Whitney celebrates the lives and legacies of the enslaved people, freemen and their progeny who lived and worked on or near Cooch’s Bridge, site of the Delaware’s only battle in the Revolutionary War. The album which has R&B, Afro-diasporic, liturgical and jazz influences is being released by Flex Records, and will be available on September 4, 249 years and a day from the date of the historic land battle. This kicks off the final countdown to the 250th anniversary of the only Revolutionary War battle on Delaware soil. 

“The African-American Presence” suite rings with the rhythms of resilience that highlight the humanity of the Black people who lived and worked on the estate well into the 20th century. The album highlights the lives of the enslaved individuals, freemen and the descendants of the African Americans who inhabited the area around the Cooch family land, bought by Thomas Cooch in the 1740s.  The project showcases moving portraits of several African Americans associated with Cooch’s Bridge.

• Conga rhythms drive “Samuel,” an enslaved man who sought his own freedom from the Cooch estate and was never found.
• Martial melodies convey the triumph of “Benjamin Harris Martin,” an enslaved North Carolina soldier who bravely fought for the Patriots at Cooch’s Bridge and was granted his freedom by his enslaver some 40 years after the battle.
• “Ardessia” is a loving and intimate vocal/piano piece featuring Makeda Hampton’s operatic voice, in dedication to a beloved caretaker at the Cooch estate, who is still referenced by the family today, long after her death in 1971.
• The zenith of the album is “Say Their Names,” where the congregation of Wilmington’s Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew hauntingly chant the names of the known enslaved people at the estate.

“We humanized them,” Whitney says. “They are more than their trauma. They are mothers, fathers, lovers, singers, craftsmen, cooks, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, and so much more.”

Whitney was the recipient of the Delaware Established Artist Fellowship for jazz composition in 2020 and was awarded the 2026 Delaware Established Artist Fellowship in music composition. Whitney is currently the artist-in-residence at the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew and was a speaker at the 2017 and 2024 Wilmington TEDx events.

“Cooch’s Bridge: The African-American Presence” is the second suite written by Whitney about the historic site, and the first to be released as an album. Two suites; “Cooch’s Bridge: The Family” and “Cooch’s Bridge: The Battle,” were commissioned in 2023 and 2025. The final suite will focus on the site’s Lenape/Native American history and is scheduled for production in 2027.

For more information on Jonathan Whitney and the creation and premiere performance of “Cooch’s Bridge: The African-American Presence,” including images and videos, please visit  https://www.jwwmusic.com/cbaap.

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