record curation by john carroll kirby

John Carroll Kirby is a producer, composer and keyboardist from Los Angeles. Though Kirby's background is steeped in jazz, his signature sound blends genres and styles. An in-demand collaborator for artists ranging from superstars Solange, Frank Ocean and Harry Styles to indie musicians Yves Tumor, Connan Mockasin, Liv.e, and many more, Kirby has lately focused on his own prolific solo output, releasing five LPs on Stones Throw in a little over two years. 

My Garden (2020), a blend of jazz and exotica, was praised by 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, took 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 painter Ariana Papademetropoulos 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 new solo album is out now via Stones Throw.