Roberta Gambarini, photo by Ben Huggler

Roberta Gambarini has carved an unusual niche for herself in the jazz world since her Grammy-nominated 2006 American debut, Easy To Love. The talented jazz vocalist has made a specialty of collaborating with legends of the genre, combining her classic style with the living history these players embody.

“What you do with these veterans is not doing what’s been done in the past,” Gambarini explained during a recent interview with DCist. “What these people do is, day-by-day, they stretch the language. It’s taking something that existed, and like an elastic band, really trying to pull it to see how far it will go, rather than trying to break from what’s been done before.”

Gambarini and her band will perform on Friday at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. James Moody was originally slated to be a special guest with the group, but the 85-year old saxophonist is suffering from health problems and will be unable to perform. Taking his place will be another NEA Jazz Master, saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, who is a familiar face in the District largely due to his role as artistic advisor for the annual D.C. Jazz Festival. However, Gambarini intends to make Moody’s presence felt at the concert.

“We’re going to turn this into a living tribute to Moody,” Gambarini said.