Toronto jazz quartet Peripheral Vision have shared the details of their sixth recording We’ve Got Nothing.
Led by guitarist Don Scott and bassist Michael Herring and rounded out by drummer Nick Fraser and tenor saxophonist Trevor Hoff, Peripheral Vision has been pushing the boundaries of jazz for the last 15 years, with influences including jazz, rock, classical, and improv.
We’ve Got Nothing follows the group’s 2020 release Irrational Revelation and Mutual Humiliation.
The album was conceived during the pandemic as a way to create collaboratively. Eventually, they were able to debut their new music when they returned to their long-running monthly series at the Toronto club Tranzac. The concert series was recorded over the course of four months between January and April of 2023 by the group’s long-time co-producer Jean Martin.
For this seven-song set of all-new original material, Scott and Herring drew on a range of influences including comedian Stewart Lee’s musings on anxiety and lost creativity, bassist Dave Holland’s thoughts on achieving balance in life, and, most importantly, the band’s 15-year history of playing and travelling together. Notably, We’ve Got Nothing marks the first time the group’s two leaders have co-written music together.
Here’s the track listing:
- Close the Paper and Play
- Standing on Two Feet
- Full Disclosure Comedy Vehicle
- Cone of Silence
- Goodbye Heintzman
- I’ve Got Nothing
- The Mask Has Become the Face
Peripheral Vision’s We’ve Got Nothing is out Oct. 20, 2023.
