John Carroll Kirby is an artist from Los Angeles. Though Kirby’s background is steeped in jazz, his signature sound blends genres and styles. An in-demand collaborator and producer for artists ranging from superstars Solange, Frank Ocean and Harry Styles to beloved indie musicians Conan Mockasin and Live, and many more, Kirby has lately focused on his own prolific solo output, releasing five LPs on Stones Throw Records in a little over two years.
My Garden (2020), a blend of jazz and exotica, was praised by Pitchfork, The Fader, LA Times, Q, and Mojo. The same year, Kirby released Conflict, a calming piano album in response to the year’s chaos. Following his first film score for the animated feature Cryptozoo, Kirby’s 2021 jazz-fusion release Septet marked a return to ensemble playing, while Dance Ancestral (2022) with additional production from Canadian artist YuSu, saw him take a more electronic- forward approach.
Alongside these albums, Kirby has released episodes of Kirby’s Gold, a web series inspired by Huell Howser’s California Gold. In the series, Kirby chats and improvises with artists ranging from a painter to an Eastern European choir and Costa Rican calypso band. Most recently, Kirby received a Grammy nod for his work on Steve Lacy’s smash hit “Bad Habit”. In March 2023, Stones Throw released Sundown, Kirby’s album-length collaboration with R&B singer Eddie Chacon. Kirby’s latest solo album Blowout arrived in 2023 via Stones Throw.
