That's the thing about younger players... If you don't go out to clubs where they hang, if you don't listen to radio stations that play them... what right has anyone to make ANY comment about them? Judging from an uninformed position only makes the judge look stupid, IMO.

Yes, you have to wade through a barrel of whale-dreck to catch the few really good ones, but when has that EVER not been the case?

Actually, our beloved arrangers are quite a part of the problem. Once you say to yourself 'I don't need any other musicians, now', you remove the need (at least, in your OWN mind!) to constantly go out an LOOK for these players. AND, you remove the pressure on yourself (from these other, hopefully great players) to get better yourself, too. No arranger has EVER, at the end of a song, turned to me and said 'your ass was dragging on that one!'.

Hearing that (when it's true!) is one of the MOST important reasons to play with real players as much as possible, even if only an addition to your arranger if not an outright replacement. I must confess, there is something about arranger players that makes them not necessarily the most humble musicians out there. A lack of feedback from the arranger MIGHT have something to do with that...!