JAZZ REVIEW : From Deep in the Heart of Saxes : The Lone Star State’s Wilton Felder, in a rare appearance without his Crusaders, shines the most during the standards.

In addition to longhorns and tumbleweeds, Texas has produced its share of saxophonists. And no one typifies the wide-open, R&B-based; sound so often associated with the sax slingers raised in the Lone Star State better than Wilton Felder.

Felder, who came to the West Coast in 1958 with the original Jazz Crusaders, is still a member of that band (now known as the Crusaders). His appearance Thursday at El Matador was a rare chance to see him outside the group, in an unrehearsed session that included a trio of standards as well as tunes from the Crusaders’ book.

Not surprisingly, Felder’s best moments came during the standards, tunes he rarely performs. Part of the reason for this is the familiarity of the songs, both to him and to the other members of the combo (keyboardist Rob Mullins, drummer Art Rodriguez and bassist Luther Hughes). But another reason the standards succeeded is that the tunes themselves provide more of a creative challenge than the accessible backbeat numbers that are part and parcel of the Crusaders’ sound.

Felder, on tenor for the familiar number “There Will Never Be Another You,” gave the theme a light, terse treatment before diving headlong into the solo. He stretched his trademark, taffy-sweet tone to include deep overtones and pointed squeals while spiraling through the scales. Thelonious Monk’s “ ‘Round Midnight” was given a more considered treatment that Felder, this time on alto, capped with a high-end whistle. “Someday My Prince Will Come” found the saxophonist on soprano, working a slightly bright tone with some of the same rough-and-tumble attack that John Coltrane pulled from the instrument.

Felder also seemed comfortable with his own “Last Call,” a tune that gave him a chance to show off a tenor range as wide as the state in which he was born. But, surprisingly, his least interesting improvisation came during a piece that appears on the new Crusaders album, bassist Marcus Miller’s “Maputo.” Felder seemed strangely uneasy with the funky number that featured Hughes pounding out the beat, at times, with his thumb, in the same assertive style that built its composer’s reputation.

Mullins seemed to have the best time of those on the bandstand, bobbing his head and swaying in time to the music. He filled his solos with swirling lines that he cut with trills, or single repetitive notes. At times, he was in danger of hanging on too long to a repeated figure, but then his right hand would storm up the keyboard while his left added chordal punch.

Drummer Rodriguez--you may have seen him in the house band on the defunct “Pat Sajak Show”--proved himself a solid hitter who works equally well on fusion-oriented tunes and more traditional compositions. His solo on “Someday My Prince Will Come” used the snare as a home base, a place he returned to after booming tom-tom accents or splashy cymbal play.

Wilton Felder, Rob Mullins, Art Rodriguez and Luther Hughes appear again on Thursday, June 27, at El Matador, 16903 Algonquin St., Huntington Beach. Admission is free. (714) 846-5337.