Last Wednesday, my girlfriend treated me to a funk-jazz concert at a posh Cambridge hotel. We saw up-and-coming saxophone star Grace Kelly, 19, guest perform with Bill Banfield and the Jazz Urbane at Sculler's Jazz Club, located in the Hilton Hotel. Grace Kelly is currently one of the hottest and youngest names in jazz, and Bill Banfield is an established guitarist and educator at Berklee College of Music.

While the Jazz Urbane never strayed from its traditional funk and R & B roots, Kelly's presence gave the night some fresh sounds. My girlfriend took me there because she knows I was a jazz guy. But jazz comes in hierarchies of taste; for one, I don't consider smooth jazz to be "true" jazz. I typically prefer experimental fare over traditional groups, so I was surprised by how imaginative the Jazz Urbane was. To commemorate his 35th birthday, Banfield invited Esperanza Spalding and other Berklee professors his age to play the type of music they grew up with. They played every Monday at Daryll's Corner Bar & Kitchen in Boston and it was soon dubbed the hottest spot for live music by The New York Times. There's lots of classic roots/soul/funk here to liven up anyone's night out. Banfield doesn't perform like Julian Lage or Kurt Rosenwinkel. But he doesn't have to, since he brims with so much of his own charm and virtuosity.

The Jazz Urbane clearly defines its genre and plays its heart out within the boundaries of jazz and funk. It's a great choice for a place like Scullers. The nightclub is nestled inside the boutique-style Hilton, and like the Regattabar at the Charles Hotel—my favorite jazz venue in Boston—there are swanky sights along the way. White marble floors, leather couches and 1920s-inspired decor set the tone of the evening, not to mention a skyward view of the Hilton's 300-plus rooms and glass elevator. Scullers itself is similar to the Regattabar in terms of its intimacy to the musicians: Its tables are far enough from each other for red-wine romance, yet close enough to fill the venue with a large crowd. We sat adjacent to the stage, right next to Banfield and the singers with a clear view of everyone in the band but the pianist—a lucky spot for the $20 general seating.

Being closer to Kelly's age and more familiar with her style of music, I was most excited when the Brookline-raised Korean-American stepped up to the stage. She's been quite busy for someone set to complete her undergraduate degree at Berklee by the end of the year. In addition to graduating, Kelly's accomplishments this year include putting out two albums, appearing in over six countries and playing in both the Newport Jazz Festival and the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival, where she first guest starred with the Jazz Urbane.

At Scullers, Kelly offered rip-roaring solos and an original vocal composition, "It's Not About Me." Though I'm not sure she's quite found her vocal maturity yet, instrumentalists who sing always impress me. Her aching ballad gave me chills (the good kind) during its leaps and bends, teasing out the sorrow in the song. I wonder where the unrequited love theme came from, as she's apparently in a happy relationship. However, it wasn't until Kelly picked her saxophone back up and wailed like a jazz veteran that my jaw dropped.

Banfield, with two decades of performing, composing and directing under his belt, seemed right at home with his buds Joey Blake, the Jazz Urbane's lead singer, and Jesse Taitt, the musical director and pianist of the group. "Are you having a good time?" Blake bellowed before launching into the funkiest scat solo I've heard in a while. Banfield's riffs hinted at both John Scofield and Jimmy Hendrix. The rhythm section grooved with earthy beats and the vocal team, four women with immediate stage presence, filled the Scullers stage with precise harmonies. Blake, dressed in colorful African garb, noted the "wonderful colors" onstage. His comment rang true. Each of these Berklee musicians brought his or her nationality and musical taste to the stage; one singer dedicated a solo to her family in India. A woman in the crowd, who looked like the least likely person to start dancing, had such a good time she threw her arms up with the beat, singing along to a cover of Bill Wither's "Use Me."

Sure, it was all stuff I'd heard before, but there's a reason certain types of music last. When the bassist began laying down the groove to Robert Parissi's "Play That Funky Music," I realized that these rhythms always get my head bopping. Jazz has crossed over from the realm of entertainment into intellectual sophistication and academia. But who's to say that we can't simply have a good time listening to it or seeing it live?

One moment toward the end of the Jazz Urbane's set epitomized its feel-good nature. Blake sang out the names of each member, and one by one they showed off their respective instruments with a short solo. Banfield had a great time rocking out with his electric guitar—distortion, wah-wah pedal and all. Taitt changed the groove into a wonky version of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon." The whole band was dancing and celebrating its timeless music. For a moment, Scullers transformed into a musical world that predated—or outlasted—the current pop world of Auto-Tuned teenagers and Rebecca Black. Was it merely a feeling of nostalgia? Perhaps. But it's hard to deny the sheer presence of talent that night.

"Did you like the concert?" my girlfriend asked as we were paying our $10 parking ticket in the lobby, clearly exhausted from the hour-and-a-half set. Of course I did. "Who wouldn't?" I thought. Sure, there are people who simply don't like funk or jazz. But seeing an energetic group of musicians give it their all in an intimate setting—that's something anyone can dig.