Album of the Week // 19-23 July

John Carroll Kirby’s first ensemble album Septet is out now via Stones Throw Records. As a producer, keyboardist and composer, Kirby has worked with the likes of Solange, Frank Ocean, and Harry Styles, and played in Blood Orange and Connan Mockasin’s touring bands. For Septet he brought his wealth of experience as bandleader, arranger and collaborator to tailor his compositions to players' individual personalities. Watch the video for 'Rainmaker', featuring cameos from Mac DeMarco, Eddie Chacon and Kerwin Frost, here.

After Kirby brought a seven-piece together to perform at LA’s legendary jazz venue The Blue Whale in 2019, the energy of the performance encouraged him to bring the band to the studio. The musicians — Kirby (keyboards), Deantoni Parks (drums), Tracy Wannomae (woodwinds), JP Maramba (bass), Nick Mancini (mallets), Logan Horne (woodwinds), and David Leach (percussion) — laid the album down live in just a few days at 64 Sound Studios in Los Angeles. The resulting record is inspired by the city’s nature, Kirby’s interest in animism, and how these intersect with the modern urban environment.

My Garden, Kirby’s Stones Throw debut, was released in April 2020, along with a surprise ambient album, Conflict. At the start of 2021, Kirby announced his score for the upcoming film Cryptozoo starring Michael Cera, Lake Bell, Jason Schwartzman, Zoe Kazan among others. The film premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival winning the NEXT section’s Innovator Prize.