‘Azahar’ a Rich Ethnic Blend

If Adam del Monte had offered a CD of music played in “Azahar,” a program of music and dance at the Alex Theatre in Glendale on Saturday night, there would have been a long line of customers in the lobby. There is something richly seductive and complex in the rhythmic mix of Del Monte’s compositions, whether he’s pulling a haunting melody out of fluttering embellishments during a guitar solo or combining efforts with flutist Pedro Eustache (impressive on many instruments), bass guitarist Asaf Kofler, guitarist Antonio Triana and percussionist Patric Hetzinger.

When not percolating in intriguing compositions by Del Monte (“Chalaco,” “Sambule”) or Kofler (“El Azahar”), the musicians provided accompaniment for dancers of the Laila del Monte Dance Company, sometimes accenting a movement vocabulary that came mainly from flamenco and the Middle East. One brief but affecting moment occurred when Eustache’s breathy flute added a shiver to Laila del Monte’s shimmering flamenco footwork.

This was during Laila del Monte’s fascinating solo, “Al Anda Luz: Solea por Buleria,” in which she playfully integrated her soft, quicksilver flamenco style with the isolations and torso rolls of belly dance.

More traditional flamenco solos were performed by Irit Spektor, Marcellina de Luna and Del Monte herself, and these had bracing passages. On less firm ground were attempts at incorporating two belly dancers (Raven and Kristy Ibarra-Armas, also listed as Lailah).

The evocative flamenco singer Antonio de Jerez seemed underused. Actress Ann Lluch occasionally recited Spanish poetry with eloquence. The overarching concept stated for “Azahar”--to recall Spain’s Golden Age, when differing cultural energies combined creatively--found its surest realization in Laila del Monte’s fusion dance and Adam del Monte’s eclectic and compelling music.