I think you are reading too much into what I say... I am as happy playing dumb dance music, or country, or reggae, or just about anything, as I am playing jazz. In fact, I don't play much jazz professionally, there's little market for it round here, and I prefer to play as well as possible, and sorry, but the bar is just too high with jazz for me to compare myself with the greats! I can cut it in Nashville or New York as a session guy doing R&B or country, and keep up with most of the top players (or close enough to work, anyway!) but jazz is a medium for virtuosos. I'm just a hack, really... I'd rather not play it than play it poorly

But even a dance band, or a country band, or basically ANY live band will put in more variation on any given night (AND make it work musically if they are good players) than any arranger ever will. Now, of course, that's not REALLY necessary for the audience (unless you have a LOT of repeat customers every night, and you can deal with then simply by playing different tunes every night), but, as this thread kind of pointed out, it may be more important for your own interest than you think.

There seem to be a LOT of players on this forum that don't EVER play much with others. And I can't think of anything that would send me screaming to the loony bin faster than HAVING to make music every night with something that NEVER deviates, never gets even a LITTLE creative (even dance music can be spiced up with a little creativity... it doesn't have to be much - a little goes a long way!), never makes you smile, never helps you overcome your ennui...

If your arranger's monotony doesn't bother you, then all is well. But this thread got started by some well known members here voicing a problem with ennui of the musical kind.

And I still say that playing with others is the cure, NOT getting a different arranger