Having his cake, eating it too

James Moody’s 80th Birthday Celebration on Saturday at Walt Disney Concert Hall gave welcome recognition to the contributions of a great jazz artist. Moody may be best known for the improvised tenor saxophone solo that eventually (with Eddie Jefferson’s lyrics) became “Moody’s Mood for Love.” But his lengthy career has been filled with equally imaginative -- if less visible -- musical accomplishments.

Moody’s performance at the tribute underscored that, for him, 80 is just a number. Enjoying himself immensely, he traded verbal parries with emcee Bill Cosby, played saxophone and flute with his familiar high-spirited inventiveness, sang “Moody’s Mood for Love” (adding his own hip-hop moves and rap commentary) with Chaka Khan and the whimsical “Bennie’s From Heaven,” and entertained the full-house crowd with comedic bits worthy of a first-rate stand-up comedian.

Like Dizzy Gillespie and so many other musicians from his generation, Moody comes from an era in which it was possible to be intensely serious about the aesthetics of jazz without abandoning the fun of making music and the pleasures of interacting with an audience.

So it was appropriate that the celebration also included Cosby’s comedic presence and the spirited, bebop-driven music of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, led by trumpeter John Faddis.

Any ensemble that can include names such as Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Randy Brecker, Antonio Hart and Renee Rosnes among its personnel can justifiably describe itself as an all-star organization. And their performances of “Algo Bueno,” “Lover Come Back to Me,” “Manteca” and “Emanon” were marvelous conflagrations of sheer jazz energy, enhanced by Faddis’ stratospheric trumpet lines and Moody’s spirited soloing.

A pair of special guests, vocalist Roberta Gambarini and trumpeter Roy Hargrove, added luster to the evening. Gambarini -- probably the finest singer in jazz without a record contract -- did a lovely rendering of “Stardust” and scatted brilliantly with Moody on “Blue ‘n’ Boogie.” And Hargrove’s precise melodic paraphrases and warm sound clicked on everything from “Con Alma” to “Bennie’s From Heaven.”