John Kirby was a well-respected bassist during the swing era who started his own small band in 1937. The group was originally under the leadership of the well-known clarinetist Buster Bailey, but a after a few changes in instrumentation and personnel it became the John Kirby Sextet. Kirby used trumpet, alto sax, and clarinet as the front horn line. Kirby’s intention was to establish a polite, refined, jazz chamber group that could also retain the sound of hot jazz. The hot jazz came in the form of outstanding trumpeter, composer, and arranger Charlie Shavers. Shavers wrote most of the arrangements and composed a number of original works for the group. The Kirby Sextet has often been compared to Raymond Scott’s Quintette. Kirby also used very creative and descriptive titles for works the group recorded. The band enjoyed great popularity in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s.
| Composition | Artist | Year |
| Rehearsin' For a Nervous Breakdown | John Kirby Sextet | 1938 |
| Royal Garden Blues | John Kirby Sextet | 1939 |
| Beethoven Riffs On | John Kirby Sextet | 1941 |
| Undecided | John Kirby Sextet | 1938 |
| Opus 5 | John Kirby Sextet | 1939 |