John Carroll Kirby released his first solo record Travel in 2017, which he wrote and recorded in rural Belize, and the ambient Meditations in Music, released on Leaving Records, the sister label to the iconic LA indie label Stones Throw.

Since 2020 Kirby has released 4 albums on Stones Throw. 2020 saw the release of My Garden: nine richly detailed instrumentals inspired by Kirby’s hometown of Los Angeles. Economical yet emotional, with Kirby’s personality shining throughout, My Garden rewards deep listening with subtle details and sensual complexity.

The album won fans in Pitchfork, The Fader, LA Times, Q and Mojo, and was nominated for an A2IM Libera Award for Best Jazz Album.

This was followed by the calming piano album Conflict in response to the year’s chaos as well as collaborating on Eddie Chacon’s comeback album Pleasure, Joy and Happiness.

Then in 2021 he released Septet which was inspired by a bringing together of as many musicians to perform at LA’s famed jazz venue The Blue Whale, coinciding with the flourishing of LA’s contemporary jazz scene. Septet pays homage to the city’s biosphere andnd how these intersect with the modern urban environment.

More recently, Kirby released his first film score for Cryptozoo, an animated feature-film drama, written and directed by Dash Shaw, featuring the voices of Lake Bell, Zoe Kazan, Michael Cera and Louisa Krause. The film won the NEXT Innovator Award at Sundance and premiered internationally at the 2021 Berlinale.