All the Things You Are, the title of Reynold Philipsek’s summer 2010 release, could also be the title of his biography. As he states in his liner note, “When someone has spent an entire lifetime playing an instrument, many of the mannerisms that develop have roots in every episode and memory of a life, and the results produce an added element that goes beyond the notes.” In the case of Philipsek, those roots include his Czech and Polish ancestry, a family heritage of craftsmanship, his parents’ life in rural Minnesota, his own Roman Catholic upbringing, and of course his nearly lifelong commitment to music and particularly the gypsy jazz guitar. But then all of the 30+ recordings the guitarist has released reflect a cross-cultural, often cross-generational journey. In January 2011, he released a two-tune, mini-CD in the spirit and design of an old fashioned 45 rpm disk, paying homage to his St. Cloud childhood with a composition, “St. Germaine Street,” and a reprise of an earlier original, “Astoria.” Now, a mere seven months later, the prolific composer and tireless performer has released another CD, Tales From the North Woods.
About Reynold
Reynold Philipsek grew up in St. Cloud and became interested in the guitar in the wake of the Beatles’ invasion. “I was about 10 when The Beatles hit America,” he recalls. “That sparked an interest in guitar. I had already had an interest in music and learned how to play Stephen Foster songs on a small Farfisa organ my mother owned.” A few years later he was a card-carrying member of the musicians’ union, gigging in taverns and dance halls as a guitarist and singer, “though I have to admit, the songs I sang then were more likely to be by The Four Tops, Wilson Pickett or the Beatles and not by Gus Kahn, Cole Porter or George Gershwin.” The gift of a reel-to-reel tape deck from his mother spurred “a lifelong addiction to the recording process,” evident in his 35 (or more) recordings as leader (often solo), as well as fueling his interest in composition, with over 200 songs to his credit. At about age 18, he first heard the music of Django Reinhardt, and went on to study with the late Joe Pass and Mike Elliott. His music of the past decade has particularly emphasized his affinity for the gypsy jazz style, although he notes that “there is an element of Folk music in what I do that I have always felt but could never quite explain until now.”
Reynold’s recordings have often been solo affairs, but he keeps busy as an ensemble guitarist, appearing regularly throughout the Twin Cities and beyond with the Twin Cities Hot Club, Sidewalk Café, and East Side, a melding of the musics of Astor Piazzola and Miles Davis, among others.
A 30-year cancer survivor (he was a “guinea pig” for early testicular cancer treatments in his 20s), Reynold “vowed to make the utmost use of my time,” and has issued recordings nearly annually ever since. While this may seem to be an extravagant investment of both artistic energy and financial resources, Philipsek sees his output as a logical artifact of his artistic development. “My first recordings barely recouped their investment, but over the years and many projects I have built up an audience both here and elsewhere to the point that every record I do will sell at least enough to make it worthwhile…It took a lot to build an audience and I don't take that for granted. Besides, recordings don't have to be costly endeavors…Especially if you have a clear concept of what you are trying to achieve. A lot of my records (not all) are done quickly in first or second takes. They are almost like field recordings. I look at recordings as artifacts or snapshots.”
Tales From the North Woods
The set opens with “1965,” when Reynold notes that as a sixth grader, “I learned enough chords on guitar that my interest in music broadened. This song seems to embody some of the harmony I remember from Bachrach tunes and films of the time…” Indeed there is a “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” sort of bounce to augment Philipsek’s multi-layers of acoustic finesse (he often overdubs himself on rhythm guitar). The quirky “Goatee and Shades” may recall a certain hip look, here a musical caricature drawn with firm and jagged strokes. A 12-tone row forms the foundation for “Vienna Blues,” a nod to the composer’s high school music teacher who introduced him Schoenberg, Berg and Webern (“The Second Viennese School”). In rhythm and melody, this is no Viennese waltz but more of a stagger, filled with surprises. The off-kilter, folkloric “Babushka” is a fitting tribute to Reynold’s Polish grandmother, a piece that makes its point in little more than a minute, leading into “Butterfly,” which Reynold notes is his most popular tune, recorded in several versions. Here the feel of Musette melds with a more Slavic rhythm, reflecting the guitarist’s love of both Ravel and Prokofiev. Or Django meets Dvorak?
“Rococo” as the name implies is filled with dazzling ornaments—swinging decorations, particularly some nice effects from the lower strings. “Sidewalk Café” was written more than 30 years ago “when I was first discovering jazz,” recalls Reynold, and is also the name of a trio he leads with bassist Jeff Brueske and violinist Gary Schulte. It carries a strong melody line and a rhythm that seems to intersect hot club and jazz club. And just a bit of bluegrass. The Frans Hals painting, “The Laughing Cavalier” inspired the closing track. A small reproduction hung in his house while growing up, and Philipsek recalls its “haunting familiarity” through his inventive voicings and driving rhythms.
In his liner note, Reynold states that “brevity and concision are still the key components of my style as well as a predilection for stark almost chamber music-like settings and textures.” That he covers much of his personal world here in a mere 26 minutes is ample evidence that this style is particularly effective, at least in his own hands.
More on Reynold Philipsek and CD ordering information at www.reynold.com.
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