Discography
“I create from a place of authenticity, using music to transform personal experiences into shared moments of healing and understanding.”
2025
Survival of the fittest
Survival of the Fittest is made up of music that I wrote during a difficult time in my life. I created this project as a reminder that difficult times do not define us. As the Japanese proverb says, “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” Check out the video below for more information on the project.
2024
Deep in the Soil
With an all-star, monumentally swinging band in tow, saxophonist Jordan VanHemert returns to his roots on Deep in the Soil, setting aside his usual tenor saxophone for the alto, and revisiting the sounds and life-force of Charlie Parker, whose music first shaped his playing. With his partners on the front-line—trumpeter Terell Stafford and trombonist/co-producer Michael Dease—and the fleet rhythm section of Helen Sung, Rodney Whitaker and Lewis Nash, VanHemert explodes with a set of modern jazz originals, composed by himself, Dease, Stafford, Jimmy Heath and Sharel Cassity, along with an effervescent arrangement of Stevie Wonder's "Superwoman."
2022
Nomad
When you listen to tenor saxophonist Jordan VanHemert dealing on a standard tune in a trio setting — the format heard on the majority of Nomad, his auspicious sophomore album — there’s no mistaking his fluency in the jazz tradition and on the horn itself. His sound is full and warm, with unhurried phrasing anchored in a swinging melodicism, perfectly suited for high-level exploration of the jazz canon. But on this special date, mainly with the eminent Rodney Whitaker on bass and David Alvarez III on drums, VanHemert looks to a less common source for repertoire: the folk and children’s songs of Korea, both ancient and contemporary.
-David Adler, Project Liner Notes
2020
I am Not a virus
I AM NOT A VIRUS from composer Jordan VanHemert and Big Round Records, is a collection of contemporary music uniquely fitting for this unprecedented juncture in human history. Called an "excellent outing" by jazz historian Scott Yanow, the collection of lively, piano-driven jazz band performances takes inspiration from a wide swath of timely subjects—everything from the coronavirus pandemic to racially charged police killings and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. Featuring tight horn arrangements and energetic percussion, VanHemert’s compositions are sophisticated yet distinctly approachable. Alongside these original works is his arrangement of the traditional Korean Arirang— through his reharmonization of the Korean melody in an American jazz style, VanHemert meditates on his own Korean-American identity. Compelling music composed with purpose, I AM NOT A VIRUS is a must-listen for 2021—and beyond.
Other Featured Projects
This is a PDF version of As the Willow Tree Grows, which was composed in 2022 for trombonist Jeremy Wilson. In composing this piece, I wanted to capture some of my favorite elements of Jeremy's playing--his lyrical upper register and the compassion in the way he phrases a musical line. In addition, I wanted to evoke a more tender, singing lyricism from the trombone, while staying true to the jazz rhythm and harmonic structures that inspire me as a composer and musician.”
As the Willow Tree Grows can be heard on Jeremy Wilson’s new CD Aurora.
Unauthorized reproduction of this PDF is prohibited.