I Am Not a Virus - Jordan VanHemert (Album Review)

For many folks in West Michigan who have sought to learn or experience jazz music, Dr. Jordan VanHemert has been recognized name in the area in recent years. A graduate of Central Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he is well-versed in music performance and education. He currently works for Hope College as the Assistant Professor of Music Instruction in Jazz Studies and saxophone. For 2020, Dr. VanHemert’s life in the area was filled with challenges, from Hope College shutting down due to Covid-19 to dealing with visceral moments of racism as an Asian-American due to the origins of the virus. Taking in the scope of a worldwide pandemic, fractured political climate, and global protest movements through his creative lens, he has crafted an artistic statement to combat the hatred he has faced in his latest record, I Am Not A Virus. This 8-track album features the Jordan VanHemert Quintet, which includes his colleague, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies and pianist Lisa Sung, Western Michigan University graduate student bassist Kazuki Takemura, Central Michigan University professor and trumpeter Rob Smith, and University of Wyoming Percussion Area Coordinator Andy Wheelock. Jordan, Lisa, and Kazuki all share in the experiences of being an Asian-American in 2020, one that is fraught with navigating tense social interactions based on misinformation and racist rhetoric. Rob worked with both Jordan, and Andy at CMU, and Jordan and Andy both pursued doctorate degrees at the University of Illinois. Their collective knowledge and comradery built from studying and working in jazz academia combines to create a wonderful listening experience around a powerful message.

Jazz saxophone legend Wayne Shorter was once quoted as saying "Play and write music the way you want the world to be." With “The Path Ahead,” Jordan makes this statement right away, channeling his emotions felt from so many injustices this year and focusing it toward a brighter tomorrow. The tune builds from one note, with a certain gravity to the mood of the composition that reflects the times we are in as a country. There is a gradual elevation of energy that feels like each note chips away at the forces standing against progress. Each player is sonically introduced through their own dedicated solo spotlight. Lisa Sung sits patiently in the tune’s form, building off of simple motifs into increasingly larger phrasing ideas that flow overtop the accompanying texture. Kazuki Takemura’s solo makes use of added space from the ensemble, with some wonderful low end lines. Jordan confidently strides into his improvisation, showcasing a range of bebop vocabulary in his phrasing and an intensity that gradually builds. Rob Smith follows with simple phrasing that again grows into a more complex solo that shows his masterful command of the trumpet. Andy then closes with a drum solo over a rhythmic accompaniment, playing with time and phrasing with effortless delivery. 

After such a powerful opening number, things cool off to reflect the beautiful colors of fall in “Autumn Song.” The tune is a moody waltz, ebbing and flowing to reflect the changes that occur to nature during this season, something Jordan looks forward to every year when staring out his office window. Jordan starts soloing right away, gliding effortless across the form with some fast phrasing that plays around with time. Rob Smith follows suit, showing both range and a variety of phrasing ideas from the frenetic to the fashionable. Lisa drives forward in her soloing with colorful chordal movement paired with lead lines that dance around the ensemble accompaniment. Kazuki settles in the pocket for a grooving bass solo, leading right into the gradual settling of the group to end the track, much like leaves falling gently to the earth.

What follows next is the title track of the album, “I Am Not A Virus,” which Jordan wrote as “a response to the age of COVID-19 racism against Asian-Americans and our perpetual foreigner stereotype—that when people look at us, they always see foreigners, no matter how long one has resided in the United States.” The tune starts off with a powerful energy that resonates with the fury of someone who has been in constant combat the entire year. The head of the tune shifts from angry to resilient, with every member expertly transitioning between the two moods. Rob Smith cuts through the backing texture in his solo, emphasizing and exploring the vibe of each accompaniment style in the form. Jordan takes the baton from Rob’s solo and rockets forward with a bebop-fueled expression of his frustration, fear, and resolve to triumph over hate. Lisa flies around the piano with a powerful force that lands firmly each time the two-chord phrase comes around, followed by a grounded solo from Kazuki, an act of solidarity with two Asian-American collaborators following Jordan. There is a brief moment where Lisa plays a melodic figure that is echoed by the band before transitioning to a final solo from Andy that matches the intensity of his collaborators.

In another act of solidarity with the oppressed, “Justice for the Unarmed (BLM)” swings hard and doesn’t mince words. It’s a tumultuous wave of sound that demands your attention, much like how the voices of the BLM protest movement have broken through the noise of everyday life to be heard on a global scale. It specifically focuses on the rage felt from the unjust murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. Art reflects one’s environment, and 2020, for all of its insanities, had been a tumultuous environment to try and reflect. You hear it in the pace of the tune, the fastest on the record, mirroring the speed these stories reached a worldwide audience. You hear it in the musicianship, pushing just hard enough to create a robust texture while also taking liberties in free expression to further have this tune stand out from the list. To compliment the audio, there is a video of the studio recording juxtaposed with imagery and videography from various nationwide protests. Rob kicks things off with a fiery solo, Kazuki carries the torch into a solo that flies around the range of the bass, followed by Jordan’s blazing improvisation accompanied only by Andy’s energetic drumming to emphasize the sound of one voice heard over the crowd of opposition. The wave of sound crashes into the final statement, giving listeners a succinct moment of activism meeting artistry.

After a string of emotional, intense compositions, there is time for stillness and meditation found in “Moment.” Like the title suggests, this ballad focuses on being present and in the moment, soaking in the environment around you and remembering to center yourself around healing elements. This tune feels like a rejuvenating wellspring for listeners and the musicians alike, with beautiful interplay between Jordan and Rob starting off the tune, with Jordan improvising throughout before he leads the tune out as a soloist. Following this ballad, “Sea of Tranquility” submerges your senses in an ocean of lush, expressive harmonies. Regarding this composition, Jordan mentioned that he wrote this “shortly after seeing the movie Interstellar. I remember thinking about how small and insignificant our human lives are—just a blip on the continuum of eternity. It makes our problems feel so small that the only response is to live in peace and harmony together, which is the emotion I wanted to portray in this composition.” Jordan’s solo streaks across the soundscape like a comet through the night sky, colorful and bright while painting a reflection on the water. Kazuki takes an intimate solo that befits this calm, measured tune, and Rob Smith improvises on muted trumpet, shaping a wonderful tone for a softer approach to his improvisation. Everything builds so beautifully to the end as if to signify a grand moment, only to taper off into the distance, like the cresting of a wave settling into the shore.

To close the album,  “아리랑 Arirang Interlude” seamlessly threads the previous composition into the next, a Korean traditional song arranged by Jordan called “아리랑 Arirang.” “Arirang expresses what it means to me to be Korean-American. In its jazz reharmonization, the piece is distinctly an American interpretation, yet I have preserved the distinctly Korean melody. The arrangement closes with the saxophone and piano interpreting the melody of 아리랑 Arirang in a much simpler harmonization based on the idea of 한 (Han), or a deep emotion of longing. Not only is this the mood of 아리랑 (Arirang), but it is this emotion—difficult to express in Korean or English—which brings the entire album together.” This track truly is a connecting thread for the record with Jordan’s Korean-American background, his passion for music education, and his skills as an arranger/performer with this reharmonization and interpretation of this Korean melody. The ending is beautifully expressed, emphasizing the resilience in one’s celebration of culture and artistry. 

For many artists, 2020 was a year that will go down in creative history, from the detailed accounts of protest movements to the criticism of those in power and those who seek to react with hatred and anger to moments of peace and unity. Jordan VanHemert’s work on this record cannot be understated, from conception to navigating COVID restrictions in rehearsals and recording. It’s an album that feels like a collective experience, with every artist cathartically enjoying the normalcy and joy that comes from making music during these challenging times. Cultures are celebrated, musicianship is expressed in full display, and the voices of the disenfranchised are heard through everyone’s artistry on this record. If you need an introduction to Jordan’s work or if you’re looking to add a great Michigan art piece to your collection that reflects this past year, you owe it to yourself to check out this record!

Pre-Order “I Am Not a Virus” here: https://www.jordanvanhemert.com/i-am-not-a-virus

Album Credits:

All tracks composed by Jordan VanHemert unless otherwise noted. 

1. The Path Ahead

2. Autumn Song

3. I Am Not A Virus

4. Justice For The Unarmed (BLM)

5. The Moment

6. Sea of Tranquility

7. 아리랑 Arirang Interlude (Korean traditional, arr. by Jordan VanHemert) 

8. 아리랑 Arirang (Korean traditional, arr. by Jordan VanHemert)

I Am Not A Virus Personnel:

Jordan VanHemert - saxophone

Rob Smith - trumpet

Lisa Sung - piano

Kazuki Takemura - bass

Andy Wheelock - drums

Recorded at Hope College Studios on July 16 and 17 by Drew Elliot

Mixed by Drew Elliot

Mastered by Rich Breen, Dogmatic Sound

Album Art by McCoy Khamphouy of Digital KoiFish Studios