John Carroll Kirby

John Carroll Kirby is an artist from Los Angeles. Though Kirby's background is steeped in jazz, his signature sound blends genres and styles. He's an in-demand collaborator and producer for artists ranging from superstars Solange, Frank Ocean, Harry Styles and Steve Lacy – receiving a Grammy nod for his work on the smash hit “Bad Habit” – to beloved indie musicians Eddie Chacon, Connan Mockasin and Liv.e, and many more. Since 2020, John Carroll Kirby has focused on his own prolific solo output, releasing several LPs on Stones Throw Records.

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. Blowout (2023) was inspired by his travels to Costa Rica, and his latest, Piano Works 2016-2026, is a collection of mostly improvised pieces written on the road, whenever he could access a piano.