He started his career with a Marimba band in 1925 ("The Collegians'). He then worked in succession for
Ben Bernie,
Paul Ash and as a soloist in
Paul Whiteman's orchestra. Norvo formed his first 12-piece big band in New York in late 1935 and continued as leader until 1944. In 1945 he disbanded his group to join
Benny Goodman, switching from xylophone to vibraphone. He subsequently performed with
Woody Herman, and in the 1950s was part of a seminal jazz trio, along with
Tal Farlow and
Charles Mingus.