Label: ears&eyes Records, 2025
Personnel - Igor Lumpert: tenor and soprano saxophones, accordion; Leo Genovese: piano; Drew Gress: acoustic bass; Damion Reid: drums.
For his new quartet album, Resistance of The Earth, Slovenian saxophonist and composer Igor Lumpert assembles a formidable crew: sought-after pianist Leo Genovese, seasoned bassist Drew Gress, and dynamic drummer Damion Reid. Partly inspired by natural disasters and environmental decline, and partly a family tribute, the record turned out remarkably well for something captured in a single day after just one rehearsal. The music channels the modal spirit of John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner, while embracing modern composition and cross-cultural influences.
The title cut, “Resistance of the Earth”, opens with an assertive drum statement, soon joined by vocal chants and Lumpert’s fervent saxophone lines, enveloped in a modal aura reminiscent of Tyner and Billy Harper. The latter—alongside drummer Chico Hamilton and bassist Reggie Workman—was one of Lumpert’s mentors at New York’s New School. Lumpert’s solo brims with clarity and imagination, followed by a fiery turn from Genovese, who thrives in this setting. The pianist’s rhythmic elasticity also shines on “Sures”, an exciting piece with an intricate relationship with tempo and accentuation.
Among the album’s more athletic tunes, “High Peaks” begins in a controlled Coltranean post-bop frame before bursting into ecstatic avant-garde interplay, while “Mediterranean Samurai”—inspired by birdwatching and nature—unfolds with a 3/4 piano riff and martial snare fluxes beneath Lumpert’s fluid, cutting tenor lines.
The sophisticated ballad “Underwater Snow” cools the mood with soft textures and a chilled backbeat, serving as a touching tribute to Lumpert’s wife. His solo follows the tune’s emotional logic with poise and passion. “Choir Song”, asymmetrical and harmonically rich, channels a Wayne Shorter vibe and features Lumpert on both accordion and soprano sax. In “Panonian”, set in seven, sax and piano move with synergistic coordination, while the closer, “Blues for Code Talkers”, offers a disciplined, spiritual homage to the Native American soldiers who used tribal languages to transmit coded messages during WWII. The Coltrane/Tyner’s synergy is evident throughout this piece.
The album’s cohesion stems from the quartet’s deep rapport and shared sense of purpose. Lumpert’s writing and playing strike a balance between intensity and intellect, and his bandmates respond in kind. Free of pretense or artifice, Resistance of the Earth stands as a solid, thoughtful statement of originals.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Resistance of the Earth ► 02 - Sures ► 03 - High Peaks