   Press release for new HWM album, The Great American Road Trip. Hectic Watermelon with Jerry Goodman (#92) 2006-09-15 Abstract Logix Staff 2006 Release: 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 group's 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. Full Feature Article can be found at Abstract Logix: |
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 Rockosaurus Review
NUMBER ONE RANKING in Jazzwise Magazine College/Student Charts for The Great American Road Trip April 2007  Reviewed by Dave Wayne at Jazz Review (Feb 07) 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. Multi-instrumentalist John Czajkowski (okay – he’s primarily a guitarist) is a new name to me. Oakland-bred and based in San Diego, Czajkowski’s resumé includes some truly rich life experiences...(complete review) Dutch Magazine, iO Pages: Nr. 71 (Feb 2007) by René Yedema (translation: Yedema) The Great American Road Trip is a travel report from John Czajkowski’s band Hectic Watermelon. In other words, like the great album cover mentions: “This album is about travel. The individual compositions and performances can be viewed as postcards sent as thank-you notes to teachers, gurus, musicians and friends who helped inspire the music along the road.” He doesn’t yield though to the temptation to copy his sources of inspirations indiscriminately, but, on the other hand, creates a concept in three parts, in which influences fluently fall together with own ideas and talents. Accompanied by drummer Darren DeBree and bass-player Harley Magsino and with a special leading part for violist Jerry Goodman he describes in three quarter of an hour a musically exciting journey which typifies itself by compact compositions, harmonious layering and solo’s and breaks which follow each other quickly. At this Czajkowski touches, next to the electric guitar, amongst others guitar-synthesizer, mandolin and keyboards and adds a lots of extra’s by means of sampling and sound design. In the humoristic, partly vocal fragments and subtly installed marimba-sound the ghost of Zappa wanders around, while other computed ideas can be traced back to amongst others 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 breathtakingly versatility of Steve Morse and his Dixie Dregs. Goodman’s sweeping playing beautifully manifests itself constantly, which leads to a stylish dosage of guitar- and violin-solo’s. Because of this all this excellently produced, modern progressive jazz-rock trip stimulates the musical joy of travelling. Reviewed by François Couture for the All Music Guide (Dec 06) An impressive debut; that’s all there is to say about The Great American Road Trip. Okay, there’s actually a lot more to tell, but after the disk 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. The album offers a very large sound palette, form 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 Magsino, 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. Reviewed by MJBrady at Proggnosis: Published 4 Nov 2006 I absolutely love when an obscure band comes seemingly out from nowhere to kick my behind. And though California is somewhere, this band has done just that. Coming at you with a high tech, ultra dense progressive fusion attack, this Navy Seal led band has all the talent and imagination to stifle the minds of the hardest core fusion heads anywhere. And they don't just appeal to that genre, this music has such a unique sound and the players are outrageously gifted, that progressive rock fans that have a flair for instrumental adventure will find more than enough to appeal to their senses. Hectic Watermelon is able to draw from a wide array of influences coming mostly from the fusion side of things, but with enough Zappa-esque flair to keep the music bumpy and non-repetitive. Each song is a flavor of it's own, showing the innovations of Mahavishnu, the virtuosity of The Dregs, the class of Return to Forever, and the humor and daring of Zappa more challenging instrumental compositions. While this may seem an exaggeration of sorts, trust me when I emphasize that the musicians in this band are equal to the task in every way. They have enlisted some outside players to assist on various songs, even ex-Dreg/Vishnu violinist - Jerry Goodman. I have heard a LOT of fusion and progfusion stuff, and this is as good as it gets for this small subgenre, the members of this band feed on all of your aural imagery through the clever constructions of this music, while they are all impressive soloists in their own right, what they are doing as musical inventors is where they make their mark, as this cd will impress you not only at the first passing, but each successive listen will continue to challenge and awaken your attention to the details of their unique brand of music. So, In hearing this band for the first time, I was floored, so much so, that I was convinced that musicians this seasoned have been doing a lot of things with a lot of artists, but this seemingly is not so. So add them to a new generation of important prog/fusion bands that need to be heard to convince you. Along with Helmet of Gnats, Bad Dog U, Kick the Cat, there is another wild breed of music on the front, one that will appeal to those that long for the days of yore, and don't mind musicians that are forward thinking, while paying homage to the roots of the genre itself. Excellent recording, top recommendation! All About Jazz: Los Angeles, Bay Area and Chicago November print editions Written by: George Harris Power trio Hectic Watermelon’s (John Czajkowski, Darren DeBree, Harley Magsino, plus special guest, Jerry Goodman) latest release, The Great American Road Trip, is a slice of progressive rock/jazz that will whet the appetite of any fan of the Mahavishnu Orchestra or King Crimson. Adding to the equation is the addition of Mahavishnu Orchestra alumnus, violinist Jerry Goodman, who is still crazy after all these years. His electrifying violin work creates quite a number of sparks with John Czajkowski’s hard driving guitar. On “Bionic Hillbilly,” the violin and guitar themed melody is multi-layered and bluesy over Darren DeBree’s hard rocking and aggressive drum work. The playing is complex and highly intricate, mixing heavy metal guitar tuplets and progressive chord progressions. “Twenty-first Century Visigoth” is a clever mix of ‘70s metal with modern attitude, reminiscent of vintage King Crimson. “F Street Fulano” delivers a clever use of chord progressions, mixed with Goodman’s maniacal violin dancing over the frenetic bass and drum work. “Steve’s Stunt Double” features some absolutely astonishing guitar work by Czakowski. I can’t wait to get the transcription of this one! “The Third Derivative of James Brown” combines frenetic fretwork with Goodman’s high-octane violin, mixed with clever usage of voice sampling. 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. Reviewed by Midwest Record (6 Dec 06) HECTIC WATERMELON/Great American Road Trip: The next generation of jazz/rock/progressive has arrived, and show they know their history, they invited Jerry Goodman around for a few licks. It can be a challenge to move this genre forward when so much great foundation has been laid and has to be lived up to, but these cats have their feet in today and craft this for young, up and coming tastes that aren’t bound by the past. Mahavishnu fans might pass it by but their kids will take note, as it should be. With a degree of genre splicing ruing rampant, it’s the kind of sonic gumbo progressive college kids will relate to. 3346 (Predator Fish) Reviewed in Progarchives by Angelo April 2007 Ten years down the road, one Czajkowski album The debut album of Hectic Watermelon makes me hope for many more to come. I just hope it doesn't take band leader John Czajkowski another 10 years to get out a second album. The oldest track on this 2006 album was written already in 1996, and it doesn't sound dated at all. Nor can it, the mix of different genres that this band borrows from makes the music timeless in every sense. A different take on this, and indicative of the crazy amount of time signatures this band goes through, is this note from a music score published on the band's web site: "Drum solo (sense of time and barlines disintegrate further)". That score and a few others proof that band contiously cruises through time signatures like 4/4, 6/4, 10/4, 8/8, 6/8, 12/4 and 3/4 in various orders. Stop counting, just believe it or you'll go crazy. The album is about travel, and the music is a journey through different stuyles in itself. From the opener Sacred Watershed, which is a pretty relaxed jazz rock tune right down to closing track Bullets, Dice and 30 Megabytes. Full Review |
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  World of Sounds: Festival of Electro-Acoustic Music The San Diego Union-Tribune EARTHLY MUSICAL MUSINGS BY GEORGE VARGA Who Made You God? September 28, 2006 World of sounds: Festival of Electro-Acoustic Music Ever hear a trance-music orchestra comprised entirely of small robots, or reel-to-reel tape decks controlled by the movements of rusting bicycles? No? Then head straight to the annual NWEAMO International Festival of Electro-Acoustic Music, to be held today through Saturday at SDSU's Smith Recital Hall. The brainchild of Joseph Waters, SDSU's director of electro-acoustic and media composition, this year's cutting-edge fete focuses on African music, including an improvised work written for Zimbabwean thumb-piano and live electronic signal processing. Equally intriguing is tonight's presentation by composer-percussionist Lukas Ligeti. He will pay tribute in words and music to his recently deceased father, legendary composer Gyorgy Ligeti, whose African-inspired music was prominently featured in such classic Stanley Kubrick films as “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “The Shining.” Tomorrow, the festival features electronic music from Chile and a performance by San Diego's Hectic Watermelon, an impressive “post-Zappa commando-rock trio” led by guitarist John Czajkowski. The band's recent debut album features ex-Mahavishnu Orchestra [and Dregs] violinist Jerry Goodman. The festival concludes Saturday with, among others, King Missile/Blue Man Group alum Bradford Reed (playing on his 10-stringed pencilina), and SWARMUS (a trio featuring Waters on laptop computer, German-born violinist Felix Olshofka and saxophonist Todd Rewoldt). |
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