HECTIC WATERMELON
''THE GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP''
2006
47:01
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1 Sacred Watershed 03:54
2 The Third Derivative Of James Brown 05:12
3 Bionic Hillbilly 05:45
4 F Street Fulano 05:10
5 Dreams Of Concrete Jungles 02:09
6 Subterranean Rapid Transit 05:52
7 Layover In Hamemet 02:00
8 Stray Dogs Messaging Project 02:05
9 Steve's Stunt Double 04:02
10 Twenty-First Century Visigoth 04:21
11 Bullets, Dice And 30 Megabytes 06:24
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EDITORIAL REVIEW
www.amazon.com
The group Hectic Watermelon is the fresh expression of guitarist-composer, John Czajkowski, and the band's new album, The Great American Road Trip, reveals the entire groups passion for delivering a delightfully nuanced sonic smorgasbord. Czajkowski formed the power trio with musical partners Darren DeBree and Harley Magsino on drums and bass to deliver an album of new music that still reflects classic sensibilities. The legendary fusion pioneer, Jerry Goodman, joins the lineup on electric violin and is featured on 9 of the 11 tracks. Additional guests include Brian Kahanek, Scott Lerner, and Kevin Freeby who all play on one track each. Experiencing the debut album, The Great American Road Trip, the listener is treated to a nostalgic retrospective that draws from the American jazz-rock tradition of the past four decades with an ambitious new compositional direction. Czajkowski relates, 'My aim has been to write and record an album that has more dimension than an instrumental rock guitar album. I have wanted to try to create a rich collection of music unified by a group of musicians playing material that attempts to build bridges between both high- and low-status types of music. I love all these types of music equally and they are inseparably rooted in both who I am as an American musician and music lover.' The resulting album is a palette of deep compositions that draw idioms ranging from classical, jazz and fusion to progressive rock, bluegrass, and metal.
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ABOUT THE ALBUM
www.abstractlogix.com
Hectic Watermelon is a new "Post-Zappa Commando-Fusion" band from San Diego-Los Angeles comprised of John Czajkowski on guitars, Darren DeBree on drums, andHarley Magsino on bass. The legendary electric violin fusion pioneer, Jerry Goodman, joins the lineup on 9 of the 11 tracks on the band's debut album, The Great American Road Trip. The album is a colorfully deep retrospective that draws from jazz-rock traditions while forging bold new compositional pathways. It has Topped the UK Aternative Jazz College charts published in Jazzwise magazine, received international airplay and earned critical acclaim.
"Czajkowski tours the American landscape by orchestrating a tour of the music that grows there. He's a monster guitarist with a metal carapace and a creamy jazz center, sprouting hydra heads of classical picking..."
- Scott Johnson
"A very enjoyable album – Highly recommended!!!"
- Alex Machacek
"Every so often, an album like Hectic Watermelon's The Great American Road Trip comes along to give me hope that jazz-rock fusion hasn't collapsed like a poorly-made soufflé under the weight of its own clichés. The relentless energy, shape-shifting changes and bounding asymmetrical rhythms of tunes extend and elaborate upon the groundbreaking work of artists like John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, and Jeff Beck."
- Dave Wayne Jazz Review
A tour de force, The Great American Road Trip showcases John Czajkowski's dazzling fretwork, contrapuntal ingenuity and impeccable ensemble playing with bassist Harley Magsino and drummer Darren Debree and former Mahavishnu violinist Goodman...a virtuoso fusion band…a fleet-fingered guitarist and composer…intricate compositions (that) blend elements of fusion jazz, prog-rock, funk and contemporary classical."
- George Varga San Diego Union-Tribune
"John McLaughlin's influence is felt throughout the album, but Frank Zappa is also quite present—not in Czajkowski's guitar playing, but in his witty writing and sense of humor. Both entertaining and technically impressive, The Great American Road Trip has enough jazz to titillate fusion fans, enough complexity to please the progressively inclined, but most of all, it has its own endearing personality. Highly recommended!"
- François Couture All Music Guide
"Throughout each of the songs on this masterful set, the playing is tight, complex and eclectic. Anybody who is missing the days when Jeff Beck's Blow by Blow or The Mahavishnu Orchestra's Birds of Fire ruled the world will have found a friend in this high-energy recording."
George Harris - All About Jazz
"The ghost of Zappa wanders around, while other ideas can be traced back to the pure sounds of Eric Johnson, the intriguing syncopation of Scott Henderson, the Eastern senses of John McLauglin, Allan Holdsworth's unpredictability and especially the breathtaking versatility of Steve Morse and the Dixie Dregs. Goodman's sweeping playing beautifully manifests itself constantly, This excellently produced, modern progressive jazz-rock trip stimulates the musical joy of traveling."
- René Yedema iO Pages Magazine, Netherlands
"With so much competition in the marketplace, musicians can find it difficult to make an original musical statement that separates them from the pack. Not everyone will be a true innovator. But there are musician's who take their influences, add healthy doses of their own unique talent, and manage to push the musical envelope with their creativity. The music on The Great American Road Trip by Hectic Watermelon is a very good example of that process."
- Rod Sibley abstractlogix.com
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REVIEW/AMG
François Couture
An impressive debut; that's all there is to say about The Great American Road Trip. OK, there's actually a lot more to tell, but after the disc stops spinning, the only thing on your mind will be "What, this is a debut album?!?" Hectic Watermelon is a quirky fusion trio led by a very good guitarist, one of the best kinds of guitarists in fact: the kind that eschews pointless flashiness in favor of wild ideas. John Czajkowski possesses all the necessary skills to pull off a fusion career -- and he does take the time to impress on The Great American Road Trip -- but he is first and foremost a strong composer with a knack for studio work. This album offers a very large sound palette, from madly contorted rock songs ("Twenty-First Century Visigoth," hilarious) to textural sonic experiments ("Layover in Hamemet"). But the bulk of the album consists of spirited fast-paced fusion instrumentals featuring Czajkowski, bassist Harley Mausino, drummer Darren Debree, and none other than Mahavishnu Orchestra's violinist extraordinaire Jerry Goodman as a special guest. Goodman appears on all but two tracks and his trademark sound is put to excellent use in highlights "Bullets, Dice and 30 Megabytes," "The Third Derivative of James Brown" and "Subterranean Rapid Transit." John McLaughlin's influence is felt throughout the album, but Frank Zappa is also quite present -- not in Czajkowski's guitar playing, but in his witty writing and sense of humor. Both entertaining and technically impressive, The Great American Road Trip has enough jazz to titillate fusion fans, enough complexity to please the progressively inclined, but most of all (and despite the above statements about Zappa and McLaughlin) it has its own endearing personality. And that, more than anything else, is what makes it such a strong debut album. Highly recommended.
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