Gypsy Jazz

Learning to be okay with not always being okay…

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“Life Is Short” (Written and arranged by Reynold D. Philipsek 1995, 2024 copyright Zino-Rephi Music BMI)Guitars, vocals and keyboards-ReynoldDrums-John HammondBass-Luke KramerRecorded by Stymie SeamansVideo produced by Rene Erickson I have long been painfully aware of life’s brevity because my life nearly ended at age five and later in my late twenties. I have become accustomed to daily thoughts about life’s fleeting […]

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The best jokes are the ones nobody ever gets…

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“Vienna Blues”(Composed and performed by Reynold D. Philipsek 2011 and 2026 copyright Zino-Rephi Music BMI)* This is a “live” in-studio recording video done by my friend Rene Erickson. The original studio recording appears on the “Picture This” and “Tales from the North Woods” albums. This is a very condensed version. The piece is based on a 12-tone row but I

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Signature sextuplet butterflies…

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“East Hennepin Swing” (Composed by Reynold D. Philipsek 2007 and 2026 copyright Zino-Rephi Music BMI)Guitars-ReynoldBass-Jeff EngholmRecording engineer:JR Hammond  Over the years, I have played many gigs on East Hennepin Avenue or the nearby North-East Minneapolis area. So that terrain has a certain vibe for me. For many of those years, we had a weekly Sunday night gig at The Times Bar

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One more mood-shifting part…

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“Uptown and Country”(Composed and arranged by Reynold D. Philipsek 1990 and 2025 copyright Zino-Rephi Music BMI)Lead and rhythm guitars-Reynold“Octave pedal”  bass line-Luke KramerDrums- Rob DaviesRecorded by Stymie SeamansVideo production by Rene Erickson (May, 2025) This recording and song is from the archive. It holds up very well. The concept of the piece was to mix “uptown” and “country” and “rockabilly”

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To the afterlife or great unknown…

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“Paint Your Own World” (Composed, arranged and orchestrated by Reynold. D. Philipsek 2023 copyright Zino-Rephi Music BMI)Guitars and vocals-ReynoldDrums-Jon NiefeldBass-Luke KramerTrombones, cornets- Zane SchaeferRecorded by Stymie SeamansVideo production by Rene Erickson From the beginning and recurring 5/4 riff and through all of the other permutations I think the energy of this track is lifted by all of the players but drummer

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Having just returned from a three-day reunion…

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“Dark Eyes” (Traditional piece arranged and performed by Reynold D. Philipsek)Recorded by Stymie Seamans Video by Rene Erickson Having just returned from a three-day reunion with my first rock band in high school, The Cure of Ares, my mind has gone back to musical origins. This is literally the first song I ever learned by heart on guitar when I was ten

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