Though "combo" was a more general term in the early days of jazz, musicians eventually started using it to refer to smaller groups. Some bandleaders like Goodman and Tommy Dorsey also led trios or quartets or quintets. A new breed of players gave combos a more complex personality; Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie put together groups that would play the theme of a bebop tune in unison at the beginning, then branch out into solos.
Some great pianists formed combos in the '40s and early '50s, including Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. Saxophonist Charlie Ventura was wildly popular from 1947-9; he made use of bop singers such as Buddy Stewart, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. Vibraphonist Red Norvo had an all-star band around the same time, before joining Benny Goodman's outfit.
-Leonard Feather
Source: ~www.leonardfeather.com
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