Reynold David Philipsek (born December 8, 1952) is an American musician, jazz guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. Philipsek has released thirty-five CDs of original compositions since 1989. A member in good standing in the American Federation of Musicians labor union since the age of 14, Philipsek has explored numerous musical genres including pop rock, rock, jazz, and gypsy jazz.
Philipsek’s work as a guitarist has been reviewed in Guitar Player, Acoustic Guitar, Vintage Guitar, Billboard and Downbeat, where Philipsek received a four star review at the age of 22. Philipsek was chosen as a Guitar Player Magazine Jazz Poll nominee for six consecutive years (1975 to 1980), has been nominated for five Minnesota Music Awards, and has had three songs in the iTunes Top 75 Gypsy Jazz Essentials.
Active as a composer and performer, Philipsek can be seen as a solo performer, and in numerous collaborative efforts. Philipsek has performed in support of national and international acts such as Connie Evingson, Clint Hoover, The Wolverines Big Band, Glen Helgeson, and Patrick Harison. Philipsek played with French Gypsy Jazz master Dorado Schmitt during his 2005 U.S. tour. On August 28, 2010, Philipsek was one of two opening acts for Leo Kottke at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth, Minnesota.
In addition to writing, arranging and performing, Philipsek has been a guitar instructor for twenty-five years and has provided instruction to more than 2,700 students in both individual and group settings.
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Philipsek began playing guitar at the age of 9, and joined the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) labor union at the age of 14 (1967). Philipsek has been a member in good standing with the AFM since that time. At the age of 16, Philipsek wrote and recorded the single Oval Portrait,[1] and its B-side Stepping Stone,[2] with the musical act Cure of Ares. Oval Portrait received enough mid-west regional radio airplay to garner an invitation to perform on the ABC Television show THE HAPPENING '69, produced by Dick Clark Productions, as an act performing in the band contest feature of the show.[3] Cure of Ares taped on Sunday, April 20, 1969, for the Season 2, Episode 24 installment, which aired on May 17, 1969. The telecast included performances by Three Dog Night, and The Peppermint Rainbow. Each member of Cure of Ares received a Westclox wrist watch as a prize for their participation. From 1969 through 1971, Cure of Ares toured extensively throughout the midwest (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota) and recorded a second single called Sunshine.[4]
In 1970, Cure of Ares was chosen from over 15,000 entries as one of 50 semi-finalists in a national music competition, "Iced Tea's Big Search for the New Sound"[5] presented by the Tea Council of the U.S.A., Billboard Magazine and over 200 radio stations. Judges included Hal David (Academy Award winning lyricist for "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"), John Hammond (Columbia Records executive), Al Bell (Vice President and producer for Stax Records), Vince Calandra (talent coordinator for The Ed Sullivan Show), Bob Crewe (President of Crewe Records), and Don Ovens (Director of reviews for Billboard Magazine).
At the age of 18, Philipsek was exposed, through a radio broadcast, to gypsy jazz music performed by Jean "Django" Reinhardt for the first time. This proved to be a pivotal experience that would have a defining influence on his later career. At the age of 22 (1975), Philipsek received a private lesson and attended two workshops from jazz guitarist Joe Pass. During this same time period, Philipsek studied jazz guitar and The Complete Johnny Smith Approach to Guitar with Mike Elliott, a protégé of Johnny Smith. These experiences cemented Philipsek's lifelong interest in jazz.
After Philipsek's stint in Cure of Ares, Philipsek continued to play in various musical acts in the midwest in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early 1990s Philipsek founded and recorded three CDs with Reynold's Remarkable Rhythm Cattle — Uptown and Country (1990), What’s Inside? (1991), and Memory Lane (1992).
Solo work[]
Beginning in 1989, Philipsek became primarily a solo artist. Between 1989 and the present, Philipsek has released thirty-eight solo CDs (in genres including rock, pop-rock, jazz and gypsy jazz) on his Rephi Records label. The releases include both purely instrumental and vocal offerings.
In 1998, Philipsek contributed to the album Grok This / Defacing the Music of Todd Rundgren,[6] providing the Todd Rundgren-inspired track Invisible Man (Track 3).
Philipsek has composed string arrangements for songs by artists including Molly Maher, Patrick Eckart and others.
25[]
In the spring of 1980, Philipsek was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The diagnosis was particularly frightening for Philipsek as, at the time, treatments for this form of the disease had not reached the high survival rates found today.[7] After undergoing chemotherapy procedures over the course of six months, Philipsek has been cancer-free since.
In 2005, Philipsek was celebrating twenty-five years cancer-free when he realized that he had, to date, released twenty-four CDs. The concept for the CD 25 was born. Seven of the eight tracks on 25 are new recordings of Philipsek compositions from over the twenty-five years since the cancer diagnosis. Through a formal relationship with the American Cancer Society (ACS), for the first two years after its release, five dollars ($5.00US) from the sale of every 25 CD was donated to the ACS.
Evolving sound[]
Philipsek's early exposure to the influences of Joe Pass, Mike Elliott and Django Reinhardt have always informed his playing style and compositions, but it wasn't until after the release of 25 in 2005 that Philipsek began to concentrate on jazz and gypsy jazz in his writing and recording. The CD titles that Philipsek has released since 25 all reflect a predominately jazz and gypsy jazz style.
Philipsek's latest releases, All the Things You Are (2010) and Tales from the North Woods (2011), include elements of gypsy jazz, bebop, Latin folk music, modal jazz and Slavic folk music informed by Philipsek's burgeoning interest in the folk music of his Czech and Polish heritage.
Since becoming predominately a jazz and gypsy jazz guitarist, Philipsek has appeared at various gypsy jazz festivals, jazz clubs and concert venues including the Grand Marais Jazz Festival, Twin Cities Hot Summer Jazz Festival, The Cedar Cultural Center, Dakota Jazz Club, and Artists’ Quarter.
In addition to solo performances, Philipsek collaborates with groups East Side and Sidewalk Café in the composition, recording and performance of gypsy jazz music.
Philipsek regularly receives press coverage from traditional print and online outlets such as the StarTribune,[8] vita.mn,[9] Vintage Guitar,[10] Acoustic Guitar,[11] MinnPost[12] and International Musician.[13] Philipsek appears regularly on television and radio — both as a solo performer and with his collaborative efforts — including KARE 11 Showcase Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN), WFMU (New York, NY),[14] and Minnesota Public Radio (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN).[15]
Film, literature and video[]
In 1984, Philipsek scored the original music for the children’s film short, St. Cloud Sleep.
In June, 1999, Philipsek released a book of poetry entitled Journey to the Middle Ages. Based on autobiographical events and loosely inspired by Chaucer and Dante, the verse deals primarily with Philipsek's thoughts on death, aging, time, fear and religion.
In July, 2003, Philipsek released That's My Face, a DVD of six promotional video shorts from Philipsek's back catalog.
Filmed in July 2004 and released in February 2005, Three Piece Suite/Munsinger Gardens (DVD) captures Philipsek, saxophonist Al Asmus and bassist Jeff Engholm performing eight Philipsek original compositions and three classic standards — Days of Wine and Roses, Night and Day, and All of Me.
Philipsek, as a member of the gypsy jazz ensemble The Twin Cities Hot Club, released in 2007 the DVD Live at The Times, featuring in concert footage, swing dancers, fan interviews and special guest performers.
Discography[]
| Year | Information |
|---|---|
| rara avis Released: October 2012 | |
| Last Summer Released: January 2012 | |
| Tales from the North Woods Released: April 2011 | |
| All the Things You Are Released: June 2010 | |
| Imagine That Released: December 2009 | |
| Cottage Industry Released: October 2009 | |
| East Side Released: March 2009 | |
| Anthology Released: October 2008 | |
| Tempus Fugit Released: April 2008 | |
| Long Ago, Far Away Released: November 2007 | |
| What It Is Released: September 2007 | |
| Artifacts and Curiosities Released: January 2006 | |
| 25 Released: October 2005 | |
| Bistro Released: January 2005 | |
| Grey Chalet Released: May 2004 | |
| Three Piece Suite Released: December 2003 | |
| Homage to Django Released: July 2003 | |
| Now What? Released: May 2003 | |
| Themes from Imaginary Movies Released: January 2003 | |
| Guitar Released: June 2002 | |
| Middle-aged Child Prodigy Released: January 2002 | |
| Standards and Artifacts Released: September 2001 | |
| 14 Pieces for Guitar Released: June 2001 | |
| Paris Suite; Released: November 2000 | |
| Fool's Paradise Released: April 2000 | |
| Old Ghosts Released: October 1999 | |
| Paint Your Own World Released: May 1998 | |
| 20th Century Good-bye Released: July 1997 | |
| The First Hundred Years (...are the roughest) Released: September 1996 | |
| House of Curiosities Released: November 1995 | |
| Global Home Movie Released: December 1994 | |
| Russian Nights Through Rose Colored Glasses (cassette) Released: January 1994 | |
| Reynold Released: May 1993 | |
| Rephi Christmas Present (cassette) Released: November 1992 | |
| Memory Lane Reynold's Remarkable Rhythm Cattle) Released: June 1992 | |
| What's Inside? Reynold's Remarkable Rhythm Cattle) Released: April 1991 | |
| Cottage Industry (cassette) Released: November 1990 | |
| Uptown and Country ( Reynold's Remarkable Rhythm Cattle) Released: May 1990 | |
| Apple Pie (cassette) Released: December 1989 | |
| The Peter Pan Principle Released: June 1989 | |
| No Duds (The Bottlerockets) Released: July 1987 | |
| Black and Blue (vinyl) Released: June 1984 | |
| Sailor (Sailor self-title record) Released: July 1972 | |
| Sunshine (Cure of Ares, composed by Philipsek) Released: July 1969 | |
| Oval Portrait (Cure of Ares, composed by Philipsek) Released: February 1969 |
Nominations[]
Guitar Player Magazine[]
Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1975 (nominee)[16]
Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1976 (nominee)[17]
Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1977 (nominee)[18]
Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1978 (nominee)[19]
Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1979 (nominee)[20]
Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1980 (nominee)
Minnesota Music Awards[]
Minnesota Music Awards 1995 Overall World Music Recording [21]
Minnesota Music Awards 2006 Guitarist and Jazz Recording [22]
References[]
- ↑ Oval Portrait (Audio - QuickTime Plugin required)
- ↑ Stepping Stone (Audio - QuickTime Plugin required)
- ↑ Dick Clark's Happenings '69 Prizes Letter
- ↑ Sunshine (YouTube)
- ↑ Iced Tea's Big Search for the New Sound
- ↑ Grok This/Defacing the Music of Todd Rundgren (Amazon.com)
- ↑ JAMA Treatment of Advanced Testicular Cancer
- ↑ StarTribune article Reynold's 25th Parallel October 20, 2005
- ↑ vita.mn review, April 2009
- ↑ Vintage Guitar review, November 2005
- ↑ Acoustic Guitar review, December 2005
- ↑ MinnPost review, April 2009
- ↑ International Musician Magazine, July 2010
- ↑ WFMU (New York, NY) In-studio solo performance 2009-07-20
- ↑ Radio Heartland (Minnesota Public Radio) performance with Gypsy Mania 2009-05-29
- ↑ Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1975
- ↑ Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1976
- ↑ Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1977
- ↑ Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1978
- ↑ Guitar Player Jazz Poll 1979
- ↑ Minnesota Music Awards 1995 Overall World Music Recording
- ↑ Minnesota Music Awards 2006 Guitarist and Jazz Recording
External links[]
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