2020 was the year of COVID-19 arrived on the scene in the United States. For me, it was the year of my debut album:

I AM NOT A VIRUS

We made an album during a pandemic

That is not something I ever thought I would say, but we nevertheless, here we are. I AM NOT A VIRUS is about telling Asian American stories in the 21st century. Amid the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic's impact on Asian Americans was not something that we took lightly. In a season that left me feeling depressed and a bit hopeless, I wanted to create a time capsule that would explain what our society lived through.

Track Listing

  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. Arirang Interlude

  8. Arirang

All Tracks Composed by Jordan VanHemert except for Track 7 and 8.

How do you capture a movement?

We went into the studio to do just that. All of our emotions were running high—many of us hadn’t had a gig in a few months, so the act of being together again to record was healing. Here’s a video we recorded live in the studio.

 

“Music, as we know, has always been closely connected to the political and social issues of its time. I Am Not A Virus is one of the most recent and sincere expressions of this union that is constantly renewed without geographical or cultural limits."
-Alessandro Michelucci, Cultura Comestibile

About The Musicians

  • Rob Smith, trumpet

    Rob is the Director of Jazz Studies at Central Michigan University and was one of my teachers. He remains close to this day, and I am grateful that he was able to play on this recording.

  • Lisa Sung, piano

    Lisa is a friend who I met just before the pandemic began. Connecting over our shared Korean heritage, we played so frequently as a duo that I had to invite her to record for this session.

  • Kazuki Takemura, bass

    Kazuki (Kaz) is a new friend who I met just briefly before the recording session. We hit it off right away and his style clicked immediately.

  • Andy Wheelock, drums

    Andy is a friend from my Central Michigan University days. He is now teaching at the University of Wyoming, and we have been collaborating for a long time. I was so glad that he was able to make the trip out for the recording session.

Production Information

  • Recorded and Mixed by Drew Elliot

    I was very fortunate to have Nashville recording veteran Drew Elliot in the booth for this project. He was invaluable and hilarious as we entered into the project together.

    Find Out More About Drew

  • Mastered by Rich Breen

    Rich Been mastered the project, and he did such a great job. He has worked for the likes of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays, among many others ,and I am grateful to have had Rich on the project.

    Check Out Rich's Website

  • Video Production by McCoy Khamphouy

    McCoy and I grew up together and are still close today, and bonus: we get to work together on cool projects. As the child of immigrants from Laos, McCoy was happy to lend yet another Asian American perspective to the record.