For me to be as satisfied with arranger playing as being in a GOOD band (I still think that, if you are satisfied with an arranger musically, you haven't been in a band where just a look from one player to the next can elicit something magical), it has GOT to be more than JUST about me and my right hand

I expect input from my players, as they expect input from me. And you get NONE from an arranger. Sure, you can make music that SOUNDS like the band is cooking, but it ain't. It's reheated cooking. The cooking was all done in advance (usually by the style makers, not you), and all you are doing is dish it out. Your not a cook, you are a server in a soup kitchen, dishing out soup to those too poor to afford a real meal. Let's face it, how many of your audience would rather listen to a REAL bigband if they could afford to?

Most, I would imagine.

I am sorry, but one other thing springs to my dirty mind when I hear the expression 'your right hand doing the business' And I feel there's a lot of truth to that comparison. Yes, your right hand can get the job done, but don't you feel that it's SOOOO much better if there's a cute girl involved?

That's music. Better if you are not alone...