John Carroll Kirby – Tuscany

A daytime favorite at ISC, John Carroll Kirby’s solo piano album Tuscany on NYC label Patience is music inspired by a time and a place. The Los Angeles-based Kirby, who has become a go-to collaborator for numerous pop artists over the years including Solange, Frank Ocean, Blood Orange, Connan Mockasin, among others, composed the album on a self-imposed writing trip to Pietrasanta, Italy in the summer of 2018. Side A sees Kirby employing a shimmering flourish technique, à la Ethiopian pianist Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam, to express the natural beauty of the Cascata di Malbacco waterfall while Side B’s darker melodies are intended to mourn the victims of the Sant’Anna di Stazzema massacre. Recommended for fans of Satie, Debussy, Alice Coltrane.

– Phil Cho

Recommended – Full listen

Purchase in the ISC Record Store: https://insheepsclothinghifi.com/product/john-carroll-kirby/