Ever since his emergence in the '80s, saxman Kirk Whalum has been known as a smooth-jazz giant—but his sound has never been bound by musical borders. His lissome licks are just as likely to be underpinned by a pumping disco beat ("The Wave") as they are by a sultry R&B groove ("If Only for One Night"). And even if he'd never recorded a single note under his own name, he'd still be forever etched into the annals of music history for the soulfully bittersweet saxophone solo he contributed to Whitney Houston's 1992 blockbuster cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You".