More than any other genre, jazz seems best suited for the live environment. An artist can improvise in the studio, certainly, but in concert a musician can ignore time limits and stretch creative possibilities. This is especially true of all-star collaborations; they can seem contrived or forced, but when chemistry exists between the players, the result is jazz in its purest, most exciting form. Such is the case on this disc, which features five contemporary giants: Clarke, Larry Carlton, Najee, Deron Johnson, and Billy Cobham. Seventy minutes for seven songs allows the players to interact and solo at length, stretching originals and Miles and Mingus covers to their limit.

Savoir Faire is Najee's sophisticated exploration into the world of sensuality and romance, interspersed with fantastic, spirited grooves that have made Najee a favorite the world over. On Savoir Faire, superstar producers Barry Eastmond (Whitney Houston), Paul Brown (Boney James), and Chris Big Dog Davis (Richard Elliot) create brilliant canvases for Najee to paint his virtuosic masterpieces. Highlights include Najee's passionate remake of Norman Conner's classic “Valentine Love,” the sensuously grooving “Dr. Dolittle,” the Brazillian-tinged “Happiness (A Felicidade),” the funky “Bounce,” and much more.