He has also branched out to record a dreamy and aching style of contemporary R&B that deviates from the sounds heard on commercial radio. The son of Kenneth T. Whalum, who is the pastor of Memphis, Tennessee's Mount Olivet Baptist Church, Whalum is part of a deeply musical family that includes Kirk Whalum, Kevin Whalum, and Kyle Whalum, among other musicians. After he played saxophone on and served as executive producer for the New Olivet Sanctuary Choir's album 4God2God: 2nd Chances, Whalum appeared on several high-profile R&B and rap recordings. Among the earlier albums that feature him are Jay-Z's American Gangster, as heard on the highlight "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)," and Maxwell's BLACKsummers'night. In 2010, Whalum released his first solo jazz recording, To Those Who Believe. Following that, he contributed to a stylistically broad range of albums by the likes of Christian Scott, John Legend, Kris Bowers, and Big K.R.I.T., the last of whom was featured on Whalum's early 2014 single "Away." In 2015, he teased the release of his second album, Through Hell and High Water, with the track "Ghost Town." ~ Andy Kellman