After the warmth delivered by Ithaca’s Chili Cook-Off began to wane with the setting sun, the welcoming haven of the State Theatre got things heated up again with acid jazz luminaries, Soulive, and opening guests The Rozatones.

The buzz about the Soulive appearance, organized by the Ithaca College Bureau of Concerts, had been flying around campus all week. For those unfamiliar with Soulive’s music, it was difficult to get a straight answer as to what to expect; the band has been described as “jazz, soul, funk, groove and blues” in various combinations.

The night’s laid back mood was set by openers The Rozatones. Led by junior Revi Roza on lead vocals and guitar, the band of Ithaca College students began the night with a healthy dose of funked-up, bluesy soul.

It doesn’t take long to warm up to these guys. The Rozatones’ carefully honed arrangements and dynamic stage presence put the audience in a good mood quickly, and the band kept up the energetic vibe for its entire set, paving the way for the comfortable, comprehensive grooves to follow.

That sense of groove continued when Soulive hit the stage. The group consists of brothers Alan and Neal Evans on drums and keyboards, respectively, and Eric Krasno on guitar. Its latest release, “No Place Like Soul,” featured for the first time a lead vocalist, Boston-based reggae and soul artist Toussaint, who sang on all but two cuts. He is pictured as a member of the band in all the visual media that promoted the show, yet he was conspicuously absent from the stage Saturday night. Because of the recent departure, the trio was able to reach back further into their repertoire of instrumental grooves.

The trio’s stage and lighting set-ups were rather barebones: Alan sat stage right, Kraz stood center and Neal hunched stage left. The aesthetic symmetry of their physical presence perfectly paralleled the band’s song structure. Somehow, the crowd seemed to sense what was going to happen before it actually happened and were able to fluidly — seemingly subconsciously — change their dancing accordingly.

Those familiar with Soulive picked up the opening fading guitar strum and bass keys of “Reverb.” Some songs were slyly referenced within others, as when Alan sang a lyric from “Comfort,”  eliciting cheers from those in the know. The greatest crowd-riling occurred when Neal held a note on his Hammond B-3 organ for 16 bars, coating the theatre in a sweet, warm drone building to a climatic recovery.

In true style, the trio was not alone onstage for long. Saxophonist and frequent collaborator Sam Kininger joined the group for a handful of tunes. He provided the backbone of their song “Flurries,” inducing cheers from the crowd every time he blew. Kininger’s smooth melodies perfectly complemented the blunted rhythm section of the brothers Evans.

The set hit on songs from nearly all of Soulive’s releases, but the band didn’t limit itself to its own work. Soulive’s rendition of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Lenny” was the bluesiest song of the night — a slow, steady number marked by Krasno’s musing guitar. During the soft, quieter moments, the din of the audience infiltrated the musical sentiment, causing the more meditative listeners to move away from the crowds. The rear halves of both the orchestra seating and the balcony contained a dispersed, even smattering of people who chose to relax and enjoy the music in relative isolation and peace.

Kininger returned for the obligatory encore, a medley of originals along with more classic soul and funk. Soulive opened the encore with Stevie Wonder’s “Jesus Children of America,” which it covered on 2000’s “Turn it Out,” and made its way into Sly & the Family Stone’s “Higher,” where the repeated line, “Want to take you higher,” was met with proper audience participation.