Kikuya Crowd Moons Over Mullins, Felder

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Rob Mullins didn’t have the look of a matinee idol, let alone an evening idol Friday at Restaurant Kikuya, what with his boyish face, toothy grin and extremely casual dress of light-blue jeans, sweatshirt, white tennies and baseball cap.

Nonetheless, the keyboardist had the packed house of about 100 in the palms of his talented hands, delivering the kind of upbeat, pop-flavored jazz that made his fans--male as well as female--all but swoon.

Mullins was aided by guest saxophonist Wilton Felder (of Crusaders fame), another contemporary jazz musician who knows how to get to a crowd with spirited melodies and improvisations that accent accessibility.

Let’s face it: Neither Mullins nor Felder--who were backed with personable intensity by bassist Del Atkins and drummer Jeffrey Lewis--are what you’d call heady, dedicated-to-art jazz players.

This wasn’t a performance where intricate, extended solos tested both a musician’s acumen and an audience’s ears, the kind of stuff, say, you might expect from a Keith Jarrett or a Joe Henderson.

No, this was party jazz, and darn good party jazz at that. Mullins, who’s had a home on Fridays at Kikuya for about 18 months, picked the kind of tunes that appealed to his listeners.

All during the first set, audience members were smiling, moving their bodies in time to the mostly back-beat numbers, physically soaking up sounds that encouraged dancing--though there was no room for it. Mullins was right there with his fans, his head bobbing, his torso leaning in toward his piano and electronic keyboards and then away from them, seemingly transported by what he played.

Felder fit right in. He’s been collaborating with Mullins for several years and performs on the keyboardist’s latest album, “One Night in Houston.” He also delivered stirring solos, swaying back and forth as he played, often bending his knees and openly grimacing when he went for those slash-thin high notes.

The numbers accentuated solid grooves, to which Lewis and Atkins added substantially with their invigorating efforts. After stretching out on the Miles Davis blowing favorite, “So What,” Mullins led his cohorts into a slower, funk-rooted number--Felder’s “Maputo”--that typified the rest of the show.

The tune’s brief, singable melody was delivered in tandem by the composer--his tenor tone alternately gleaming and gritty--and the pianist. Felder soloed first, offering a fast series of notes that reached his horn’s highest register. This was followed by a sultry blues phrase, a reworking of the melody, more high tones and then a soft passage to balance. His improvisation seemed a mixture of predetermined ideas that he knew would work, and spontaneous creativity that was more chancy.

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Mullins, who also served as an amiable emcee, worked in the same manner. He started slowly, playing with decided lyricism, offering just a few notes with plenty of space between them. Simple stuff, but unpretentious, and you felt he had never played it before. Then he engaged in faster expositions, his notes creating swirls of sound that were showy, but ultimately had little meaning.

The pianist and saxophonist continued their mix of predictability and surprise on the subsequent numbers: the Latin-ish “Island Girl,” which exploited Mullins’ ability to play surging two-handed piano; the appealing slow drag of Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues,” where Felder’s lines often had a bebop edge; and the punchy Crusaders anthem, Joe Sample’s “Put It Where You Want It,” where Mullins played piano with his left hand and synthesizer with his right, creating sonic sparkle.

The headliners’ fans lapped it all up. Still, if Mullins and Felder had dispensed with some of their worked-out shtick and gone with more of the honest simplicity that raised the musical stakes, the show would have been even more memorable.

* Rob Mullins, with guest saxophonist Eric Marienthal, plays Friday at Restaurant Kikuya, 8052 Adams Ave., Huntington Beach. 8:30 p.m. No cover, no minimum. (714) 536-6665.