FÜR EIN ¾ STÜNDCHEN

Germany was filled with some of the most creative musical artists in the late 60s and early 70s with many of them delving into the extremes of psychedelic rock, electronic experimentation and proggy hard rock but there were a few independently minded acts that decided to go the jazz-rock direction instead and while some engaged in a crossover Krautrock sort of jazz-fusion, others completely avoided the psychedelic leanings of the majority of German bands altogether. Even rarer was the influence of the Canterbury Scene on Germany's jazz-rock fusion scene but that's exactly where TORTILLA FLAT which took its name from a John Steinbeck novel decided to go.

Having formed in 1972 in Geilenkirchen near the Dutch border not far from Aachen, TORTILLA FLAT emerged from the ashes of a previous band called Nothing around brothers Herman Josef Basten (flute, guitar) and Hans Friedlich Basten (drums, glockenspiel) aka Jacky. The original lineup was a quintet that included flute, violin, guitar, bass and drums and the band played a busy live circuit which would eventually find an archival release in the form of the SWF Sessions from 1973 but shortly thereafter violinist Werner Knauber left the music business altogether and was replaced instead by a keyboardist named Franz Brandt. After the addition of the second percussionist Albert Schippers who offered the more exotic percussive flair, TORTILLA FLAT set out to record its one and only album F'R EIN 3/4 ST'NDCHEN (For 3/4 of an Hour) which was released in 1974.

This now sextet crafted a fiery mix of stellar jazz-rock fusion workouts with complex arrangements and beefy improvisational interplay that found tight-knit complex rhythms fortified with acoustic guitar pastoral moments, heavy distorted rock heft, groovy bass slams and an extra helping of diverse percussive sounds. While similar in tones and timbres to bands like Brainstorm and Tomorrow's Gift, TORTILLA FLAT adopted the extreme sounds that came right out of the Canterbury playbook obviously influenced by the neighboring Dutch band Supersister with excellent keyboard virtuosity. Add to that the Jethro Tull inspired flute (and lots of it) along with excessively restless energetic drive that could at a drop of a pin resort to lush medieval classical folky guitar and back.

This album of seven tracks that skirts past the 48 minute mark displays a diverse range of jazz-rock technical fusion chops tamed into highly melodic passages that somehow find a truce between the two extremes. Starting much like Faust's debut album with sounds of a radio switching stations, the immediate reaction is to expect some super freaky album that takes you to planet lysergia, but surprisingly a softly spoken flute slowly ushers in the overall mood of the album and then goes into hyperdrive. The tempos are generally fast paced with a rather Latin musical delivery only graced with Canterbury electric piano tones and those indescribable jazz-rock workouts that are right out of the Supersister and Hatfield & the North camp. The album is completely instrumental but adds the extra sounds of a glockenspiel, congas and once again i must add - LOTS of flute!

This is one of those satisfying albums that delivers some of the most demanding time signature workouts, hairpin turns, angular nosedives and still comes out maintaining a ridiculously melodic flow throughout it all. The interplay between the bass, electric piano and myriad percussive sounds is off the chart outstanding and the occasional outbursts into hard rock add the perfect contrast to the flute dominated soundscapes that keep this one airy and free floating through the majority of its run. The album not only engages in unpredictable compositional constructs but also offers repetitive grooves upon which the various instruments take turn improvising around. Needles to say that the musicians in TORTILLA FLAT were all extremely talented and played in tandem flawlessly.

This is one of those true obscurities from the 70s that deserves wider appreciation. Having never been re-issued since its initial release, F'R EIN 3/4 ST'NDCHEN has finally seen a proper re-release in 2019 on CD as well as a new vinyl edition on the Long Hair label. It's albums like this that consistently make me realize how many gems are lurking out there that have gone relatively unnoticed. Unfortunately the band experienced little response to this outstanding music and folded the following year. If you are seeking some Canterbury influenced jazz-rock from Germany that takes the complexities of Supersister and adds a bit of John McLaughlin guitar heft, Ian Anderson flute wizardry along with some ethnic percussive magic of bands like Santana then you can't go wrong with TORTILLA FLAT. This band delivered an extremely well performed set of seven tracks before disappearing into the prog ethers never to be heard from again but WOW what a dynamic and dramatic gem this sole album is!