FÜR EIN ¾ STÜNDCHEN

TORTILLA FLAT were a six piece band out of Germany who released this sole album back in 1974. It's very electric piano and flute driven with jazzy drumming, nimble bass lines and exciting guitar expressions. Many mention SUPERSISTER as a comparison but KRAAN's debut might be closer in my opinion. This is all instrumental except for a few humerous words.

"Tortilla Flat" is my favourite. It opens with someone looking for a radio station then the flute takes over along with drums and bass then the tempo picks up. When it settles down and turns darker I'm thinking ANEKDOTEN or LANDBERK surprisingly. The electric piano has replaced the flute and I love this sound. The flute is back before 2 1/2 minutes and a minute later flute is all we hear. Electric piano, shuffling drums and bass take over. So good! A calm with flute and piano before 7 minutes but soon it's flute only once again. The birds are singing at 8 1/2 minutes then it picks up late to end it. "Temperamente" opens with flute, drums and sparse piano as it starts to build, guitar too. It then settles back again with flute and piano standing out before it kicks into gear at 2 minutes to an uptempo groove. Lots of energetic guitar and drums as the tempo continues to change. "Fati Morgani" starts with intricate sounds that build as the flute plays over top. Percussion joins in after 2 1/2 minutes as we get a calm but soon it's percussion only to the end.

Electric piano and flute standout early on "Rumpelstiltzchen" as the drums join in. The tempo changes often and check out the bass which gives this a jazzy feel. An impressive track that ends with some silly vocals. "Leere, Chaos, Schopfung" is a top three track and it opens with some dark atmosphere that lasts for about a minute. Then keyboards take over in this melancholic section. So laid back but really enjoyable. The tempo picks up after 5 minutes as the flute plays over top. Catchy stuff then the piano replaces the flute as the bass throbs. Check out the guitar 7 minutes in as he lights it up. The flute is back leading at 8 1/2 minutes. "Obit, Anus, Obitanus" is a light and catchy Jazz tune although we get some deep bass lines early on. The keys and flute take turns playing over top. "Mohre" opens with flute, bass and acoustic guitar which all sounds very pleasant. The flute eventually leads the way until around the 5 minute mark when the guitar starts to solo over top. Nice. The flute returns as the guitar stops. Whistling ends it. A top three tune.

This album might be at the very top when it comes to albums needing a re-issue. A must! Close to 4.5 stars.