''Unconditional'' is a studio album by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician

Kirk Whalum Kirk Whalum (born July 11, 1958) is an American R&B and smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. Whalum has recorded a series of commercially and critically acclaimed solo studio albums. Along with several film soundtracks, with music ranging fro ...

, released in 2000 by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

and produced by Paul Brown. The album reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and No. 3 on the ''Billboard''

Top Jazz Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

chart. ''Unconditional'' received a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album.

Critical reception

Johnathan Widran of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

opined "No doubt the title of ''Unconditional'' applies to the love of God that pervades his music and life, but like most of Whalum's efforts, this collection can be enjoyed by a wide audience."

Track listing

Personnel

* Kirk Whalum – tenor saxophone (1-8), arrangements (2, 4, 6, 9, 10), alto saxophone (9, 10), keyboards (9) * Tim Heintz – keyboards (1), additional keyboards (2, 4, 6, 10),

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

(7) * Roberto Vally – keyboards (1, 8), bass (1, 8), arrangements (8) *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, vocalist, and arranger. A session musician, Phillinganes has contributed to numerous albums over a broad array of artists and genres. He has toured with artists includin ...

–

Rhodes electric piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

(2, 4, 6), keyboards (10) * Gregg Karukas – all other instruments (3), arrangements (3) *

Shai Shai (also spelt Sai, occasionally Shay, and in Greek, Psais) was the deification of the concept of fate in Egyptian mythology. As a concept, with no particular reason for associating one gender over another, Shai was sometimes considered femal ...

– keyboards (5), bass (5), vocals (5), arrangements (5) * David "Kahlid" Woods – all other instruments (7), arrangements (7), drum programming (9) * Tony Maiden – guitars (1, 5, 9) *

Paul Jackson Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American Jazz fusion, fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. In addition to being a recording artist in his own right, Jackson is also a session player, with a career ...

– guitars (2, 4, 6, 10) * Peter White – guitars (8) * Alex Al – bass (2, 4, 6, 10) * Paul Brown – drum programming (1, 8, 9), arrangements (1, 2, 6, 8) * Lil' John Roberts – drums (2, 5, 6) *

Teddy Campbell Glendon Theodore "Teddy" Campbell, Sr. (born February 24, 1975) is a gospel drummer & singer. He was the drummer on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''. He is the lead singer for the Soul Seekers. Biography Christian Youth M.B. of Chicago, is ...

– drums (4, 10) *

Lenny Castro Lenny Castro (born September 19, 1956) is an American percussionist from the Los Angeles area. He is one of the most prolific percussionists of all time, appearing on hundreds of albums, including those by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Maroon ...

– percussion (1) *

Luis Conte Luis Conte (born 16 November 1954) is a Cuban percussionist best known for his performances in the bands of artists including James Taylor, Madonna, Pat Metheny Group, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart and Shakira. He began ...

– percussion (2, 4, 6, 8-10) *

Jerry Hey Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's '' Thriller'', '' Rock with Y ...

– additional arrangements (4, 6) * John Stoddart – backing vocals (1) * Wendy Moten – vocals (9) * Sue Ann Carwell – "do-doo's" vocals (9)

Production

* Paul Brown – producer, recording (1, 3, 5, 7-9), mixing (1-4, 6-8, 10) * Ray Bardani – recording (2, 4, 6, 10), mixing (5, 9) * Gregg Karukas – recording (3) * Koji Egawa – assistant engineer * Jeff Gregory – assistant engineer * Thomas Johnson – assistant engineer * Stewart Whitmore – digital editing *

Stephen Marcussen Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and distri ...

– mastering at Marcussen Mastering (Hollywood, California) * Lexy Shroyer – production coordinator * Mark Larson – art direction * Richard Lee – photography * Barbara Camp – grooming * Laurita Shields – stylist * Earl Cole – management

References

:* {{Authority control 2000 albums Kirk Whalum albums Warner Records albums