This thesis gives the reader my view of what it’s like to be a leader of a big band, an arranger of big band music, and the difference in playing in an ensemble compared to being a soloist in front of the band.The process of planning the whole project, choosing musicians, rehearsing and the final concert is described in the text, and I also write about each composition that I chose, and the arrangements that i made on these compositions.In the last part of the text, I reflect on about how each part of the project panned out, and I go deeper in the difference in how I think about timing in music when I play in an ensemble as opposed to when I play an improvised solo, as well as the difference in sound, and I describe the difficulties with switching between these playing styles.