Azahar

AZAHAR are a Spanish/Uruguayan/Egyptian quartet who play an exotic mixture of keyboards and electric/acoustic guitars reminiscent of MEZQUITA and TRIANA. You could call it Flamenco rock with some Middle Eastern flavour. The vocals are all in Spanish, as are the liner notes.

Their first album, "Elixir" (1977), is a concept album about sorcery and magic dominated by a distinctive Flamenco guitar style over layers of keyboards (synth, mellotron, Fender Rhodes piano and grand piano). It features no drums, only bass rhythm, but still manages to be playful and varied, with a few interesting twists and turns and some intensive electric guitar passages. Their second album, simply called "Azahar" (1979), is a little more energetic, more funky perhaps, as it now features a drummer as guest musician. But it is also less subtle, less elegant than the first and the Spanish vocals can be kind of rough on the edges.