WINDHAM HILL CONCERT AT THEATRE CENTER

Evenings with Windham Hill artists have been known to create mellow moods, meditative attitudes and/or an intense desire to take a nap. Monday night’s program at the Los Angeles Theatre Center produced a bit of all the above.

The opening act, Stein & Walder, featured the co-leaders’ various keyboards and oboe in a sequence of works overflowing with pastoral languor. Walder’s oboe floated easily above Stein’s morass of changing synthesizer textures and everything seemed right with the world. For a few moments, that is, until the lack of rhythmic and emotional contrast began to produce a deadening similarity in each of the successive pieces.

Percussionist Kurt Wortman’s crisp drumming brought an occasional flash of bright color to the predominantly pastel tones of the music, but he was used too rarely to save the proceedings from a growing sense of ennui.

Scott Cossu’s piano-dominated set was more intense, but similarly monochromatic. Playing a number of themes from his “Islands” album, he attacked the keyboard with relentless movement. Like Roger Williams on the opposite side of the pop music spectrum, Cossu seemed determined to leave no 16th note untouched, no accent unstated.

Appealing melodies like “Sweet Rose” and “Fawn” started out with quietly lyrical flute solos by Larry Kassin, but were soon overwhelmed by Cossu’s steamroller rhythms.

Windham Hill’s music has been described as yuppie wallpaper and cosmic National Geographic reggae music. As one of the few arenas in which new improvising artists can be heard, it should offer more. On this particular evening, it gave much less.