After a decade away from releasing music as a leader, bassist and composer Peter Brendler returns with And Then, Nothing, a spirited and stylistically adventurous album built around a simple but powerful idea: be fully present in the moment. Due November 13, 2026 via Brendler’s newly launched independent imprint, Lost Song Records, the album marks both a creative rebirth and a new chapter in the veteran New York bassist’s career.
The title comes from an unlikely source: football legend Lawrence Taylor. Reflecting on his extraordinary 1986 season, which saw him win unanimous NFL MVP honors and lead the New York Giants to a Super Bowl victory, Taylor described the strange emptiness that followed the ultimate achievement: “The thrill is the chase to get to the top.” Once the game was over, he said, “And then, nothing.”
For Brendler, the sentiment resonated far beyond sports. In jazz, where musicians are constantly pursuing the next performance, recording, breakthrough or artistic milestone, he began thinking about the importance of appreciating where you are rather than perpetually chasing what comes next.
“There’s nothing in the future that we can be assured of, and the past is already gone,” Brendler explains. “So just appreciate being completely in the here and now and don’t think about what’s coming down the road.”
That philosophy permeates And Then, Nothing, Brendler’s first album as a leader since 2016. It also represents a newfound creative independence. After years of navigating the compromises that can accompany working with a record label, Brendler decided to establish his own imprint and make the album entirely on his terms. The result is a deeply personal collection drawn from music he has written and developed over the past decade, performed by a quartet of longtime friends and collaborators.
Joining Brendler are saxophonist Jon Irabagon, pianist and keyboardist Zach Lapidus, and drummer Mark Ferber. The musicians share a history that extends well beyond the recording studio. Brendler and Irabagon were housemates for a decade and have worked together in numerous settings, including the 2025 duo album Two-Part Inventions. Brendler and Ferber developed a close musical relationship through a long-running monthly residency at New York’s Bar Next Door, while Lapidus has become another trusted collaborator.
The quartet was assembled not only for its formidable musical chemistry but also because of the personal connections between its members. As life has pulled the musicians in different directions—The Bar Next Door has closed, Irabagon has relocated to the Midwest and Ferber now lives in Los Angeles—Brendler has become increasingly conscious of how fleeting creative communities can be.
Despite the geographical distance, that chemistry is unmistakable throughout the album. “More So Than Ever” opens the record with Irabagon’s exuberant tenor leading the quartet into a celebration of friendship, creativity and the privilege of making music for a living. For Brendler, the track reflects his gratitude for the life he has built through music.
Lapidus contributes the atmospheric “You’ll Be Sorry,” with Brendler using effects on his bass to create a sound inspired in part by fusion pioneers Weather Report, a shared influence among the musicians. “The Least of It” takes the opposite approach, with Ferber’s explosive drumming driving the quartet through a piece Brendler deliberately stripped down to its essential elements, creating room for some of the album’s most fiery and freewheeling interplay.
The album’s sole composition not written within the quartet is Keith Jarrett’s soulful “Country,” given a heartfelt treatment highlighted by Brendler’s bowed bass melody and Lapidus’ expressive keyboard work. “Lucky in Astoria,” originally featured on Brendler’s 2016 album Message in Motion, returns in a darker and more menacing form. The title track unfolds as a slightly off-kilter bossa nova, while the twisting “High Water Mark” takes its name from writer Hunter S. Thompson. Closing track “Since Forever” draws inspiration from Brahms before transforming that influence into something tense, knotty and distinctly contemporary.
The album’s diversity reflects Brendler’s longstanding refusal to limit himself to a single musical allegiance. His influences range from Ornette Coleman and straight-ahead Miles Davis to funk and classical music, and he gravitates toward musicians who share that openness.
“I’ve always respected and loved being around musicians who listen to Ornette Coleman one day and classical music the next, then funk or straight-ahead Miles Davis, because it’s all good,” he says.
That open-mindedness has been a defining feature of Brendler’s career. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, he has been based in New York City since 2001 and has performed extensively across the United States, Europe and Russia. His career includes appearances at major New York jazz institutions including the Blue Note, Birdland, Jazz Standard and Smalls Jazz Club, as well as collaborations with artists such as John Abercrombie, Barry Altschul, Bruce Barth, John Cowherd, Jon Irabagon, Frank Kimbrough, Ben Monder, Victor Lewis, Rich Perry, Steve Slagle and Chris Speed.
His recorded work as a leader and co-leader includes The Angle Below, a duo album with the late guitarist John Abercrombie; Outside the Line and Message in Motion for Posi-Tone Records; and Two-Part Inventions with Irabagon.
A decade in the making, And Then, Nothing finds Brendler liberated from expectations and fully engaged with the musicians, ideas and sounds that inspire him. Rather than looking toward the next milestone, the album celebrates the richness of the moment itself—a joyous, unpredictable and deeply personal statement from an artist finally free to follow wherever the music leads.
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