My "robots" comment was not slanderous, Jim. I was simply pointing out the benifit of stretching the box to include more of yourself than the arranger. I appreciate having the gingerbread at work, but if I had a steady diet of generic patterns, my brain would freeze.
Some songs just don't need the extra fluff, and oftentimes it's perceived as cheezy at lower volumes. The horns and guitars sound so phony at low volumes ..... it's much more realistic to use a trio or quartet backing in intimate settings.

Don,
I envy you. Thinking in chords probably takes more skill than playing one note at a time. I wish my chording skills were better. I still hate having to finger everything on the Yamaha. The Roland/Korg design was so much easier. On finger =maj - 2=minor, and all the rest need 3 or more. Less agg for guys like me.