Maneri has become well known as a singular performer and creator on viola, forming intriguing partnerships with improvisers of all stripes. Over the past seven years, Maneri has focused on a quartet to present his music. The group includes instrumentalists that Maneri has played with for decades, including drummer Randy Peterson, bassist John Hébert, and pianist Lucian Ban.

As the quartet’s identity has matured, Maneri has leaned into the voices of his bandmates to inspire his work. The compositional voice of Lucian Ban has also been incorporated, as the pianist’s pieces constitute half of the pieces on Mist. The music on Mist utilizes elements from the two previous albums to create a sort of resolution, leading from the haze of the Dust and Ash into a tentatively hopeful sense of ease on Mist. The recording was captured at Tedesco Studios in New Jersey on April 23, 2025.