Yep, gotta agree with you there, KeithB.

The biggest hurdle which still seems to haunt arrangers is that people go to the mall on a Saturday and hear the main riff of In The Mood being hacked out by some salesperson (and I'm not alluding to the serious sales reps./dealers/musicians who are well-known and respected on this board who can knock the spots off the type of store and sales personnel I'm talking about).

The general impression thus left in the mind of the casual passer-by is that your average chimpanzee can churn out a tune, no skill required.

Of course, there's no substitute for talent/skill on any given instrument, but I think arranger players have the above-mentioned hurdle in front of them all the time.