Ian’s observations are my views, as well. I pick and choose gigs, knowing full well my strengths and limitations. I hope they never stop making arrangers, since they fit perfectly the retired-age groups that supply most of my gigs. My community is loaded with many loud bars, with bands catering to the young set. Let ‘em pack those places.
I hope and pray they don’t show at my gigs. They’d be sadly disappointed. But, many others are not disappointed. To my knowledge, I’m the only one around here playing an arranger. It’s served well, now, for 8 years steady work in a fine dining restaurant setting. No dance floor, only background music. I’m part of a larger group, when dance music is called for. No arranger is used in those settings.