comping

comping
 n.— «Hutcherson delivered some of his best work on this tune as he played the straight man to the G-men (Garrett and Gonzalez). Refusing to get caught up in a contest of speed or strength, the wily vet relied on his smarts as he added small, yet significant, bits of color to the music. It’s known in jazz as “comping”—and few do it as well as Hutcherson.» —“Kenny Garrett a whirlwind in Oakland” by Jim Harrington Mercury News (San Jose, California) Jan. 26, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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