Arrowhead Concert Association

Some press reviews of Swingin' the Benny Goodman Songbook's performances:

"If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing Terry Blaine, Mark Shane and Allan Vaché perform Swingin' the Benny Goodman Songbook, you've missed out on one of the most delicious jazz trios to appear in a long, long time. Allan Vaché provides the meat of the musical sandwich: a hard-swinging clarinet that combines boundless energy with exquisite grace. Goodman himself would have been hard pressed to match him. Mark Shane's piano work is dazzling in its own right, but also serves as the bread (and a flavorful bread it is) that holds this triple-decker together. And it is Terry Blaine whose inimitably evocative voice and naughty-but-nice delivery provides the tangy 'special sauce' which brings out all of the sweetness and spice of the songs. Catch their performance once and you'll be back for seconds. And thirds."

- John Segers WUCF-FM, Orlando, FL

"Terry, thank you for the great job you, Mark & Allan did at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. All of your performances during the four days of the festival were enthusiastically received by the audiences. In particular, we received many positive comments regarding "Swingin' the Benny Goodman Songbook." It is definitely a 'keeper'. We look forward to you being back with us again next year for the 2006 Sacramento Jazz Jubilee.".

.- Roger Krum, Executive Director, Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Sacramento, CA

"Swingin' the Benny Goodman Songbook" allowed Terry Blaine, who had a great bond with the audience, Mark Shane and clarinetist Allan Vaché to do just that! The musical duet set the pace with tunes like Sweet Leilani, but the hit (to me) was Terry singing some of the songs that the various female singers who performed with Goodman from the 30s and 40s did. "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," liltin' Martha Tilton, 1936; "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," Billie Holiday, 1935; "Eenie, Meenie, Meinie, Mo," Helen Ward, 1935; "More Than You Know," Helen Forrest, but sung by Fanny Brice in the twenties! "Cause I Feel Lowdown," Annette Hanshaw, and of course, "Why Don't You Do Right," Peggy Lee, 1942, among others. When she sang she was in motion all the time. At her breaks Vaché and Shane did incredible duet work. Fats Waller's "Lonesome Me" gave Mark a great piano solo. "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)" was a singalong. Boy did this section of the program really remind me of having seen many of these artists at the Paramount and Roxy's in NYC in the early 1940s.

-KEYNOTES Magazine on the Pennsylvania JazzFest 2004, by Tom Cahill