Kirk Whalum/Jonathan Butler

Kirk Whalum
For nearly four decades, Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum has helped define "cool," whether blazing trails in contemporary jazz or infusing hits by Luther Vandross or Whitney Houston with an extra jolt of soul. Whalum has more than 25 albums under his own name, including a Grammy-nominated collaboration with pianist Bob James, his faith-and-soul-melding Gospel According to Jazz series, and a trio of albums with the supergroup BWB, alongside guitarist Norman Brown and trumpeter Rick Braun. That's in addition to his work alongside such legends as Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau and Larry Carlton.

Jonathan Butler
In a time when artists of optimism are at a premium, Jonathan Butler is a shining example of purposeful excellence. From recording local hits as a teenager during the apartheid of South Africa, Butler went on to become a world-renowned singer, guitarist and songwriter, delivering soulful salvos of R&B, gospel, jazz and pop. Touring professionally by age seven, Butler's first single, "Please Stay," was the first by a Black artist to be played on white radio in segregated South Africa. It won a Sarie Award, the country's equivalent to a Grammy. Committed to conveying stirring messages of freedom and unity through his music, Butler became a national icon. Nelson Mandela told Butler that listening to his music had helped him endure time in prison.