The thing is, with a high skill level, you have the tools and the mindset to adapt to whatever situation you are in. If he sat down and played as if it was a piano, no, it wouldn't work. If you sit at a piano and play it like an arranger, it doesn't work either. But if all you can do is struggle to operate the arranger in realtime, your chances of playing a piano part are about nil...

You can't have TOO much chops (unless you don't have the discipline to NOT use them all the time!). But you can sure have not enough!