Jackie Allen
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
Musically sophisticated and artistically daring... she knows how to utterly reinvent the most familiar tunes. - Chicago Tribune
This new amalgam of pop-jazz-folk-funk-gospel is pure Allen, just what she wants her gifted voice to be saying - her exquisite voice. Allen often sounds like she's sharing her inner most secrets and deepest fears... this feels like a very real 21st century American woman, struggling between her feminine resilience and the vulnerabilities of an ageless girl. - The Capital Times
A sparkling performance... enhanced by her warm, pliable voice and expansive range, Allen's greatest strength was her sheer musicality and the way in which she both framed and interpreted her songs... interpretations that found an amiable balance between storytelling and jazz spontaneity. - Los Angeles Times
Jackie Allen possesses a voice that combines the expressiveness of Annie Lennox and the pitch of Rickie Lee Jones, while achieving it's own bright, dramatic sound. Sassy. Tender. - People Magazine
Her gift is utterly distinctive and even innovative, since there isn't another singer out there who phrases like her... a pop masterpiece... It's revelatory and sounds effortless. - Billboard
A model of lustrous tone and clear headed energy, then waxes blue... exercising the fine art of understatement. - Downbeat
There's only one way to describe it: WOW! - Jazz Times
Discography
Starry Night Live
Tangled
Love Is Blue
Men In My Life
Landscapes - Bass Meets Voice
Autumn Leaves
Which?
Santa Baby
Never Let Me Go
Photos
Bio
Jackie Allen, critically acclaimed vocalist, songwriter and Blue Note Recording Artist, has performed multiple tours of the US, Europe, Morocco, Brazil, China and Taiwan. She has 9 albums to her credit and a strong Midwestern fan base. Her working group includes guitar, piano, bass and percussion.
Jackie has been singing jazz in Chicago since 1992. Her latest release, Starry Night, is her first live recording and features her rhythm section with symphony orchestra performing star-themed tunes penned by arrangers who have written for Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, Duke Ellington and more. She became a Blue Note Artist with the release of Tangled (2006), called "exquisite" by the Capitol Times. Love is Blue (2004) reached the top fifteen on the Billboard charts. Jazz Times Magazine said of The Men in My Life (2003), a collection standards from Frank Sinatra to Sting, “There’s only one word to describe it: Wow!” She recorded two duet CDs with legendary pianist/vocalist Judy Roberts. Her debut album, Never Let Me Go (1994), remained on the national charts for 13 weeks. Jackie has appeared as a featured performer at many of the most famous U.S. jazz venues including the Blue Note (NYC), Yoshi’s (San Francisco), Catalina’s (Los Angeles), the Dakota (Minneapolis), and the Jazz Showcase (Chicago). She has appeared at the Detroit, Ravinia and Chicago jazz festivals as well as internationally at the North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), Thessaloniki Jazz Festival (Greece), Bejing Music Festival (China) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland).
Allen's greatest strength is her sheer musicality and the way in which she both frames and interprets her song. (Los Angeles Times)
Utterly distinctive and even innovative, a masterpiece. It’s revelatory and sounds effortless. (Billboard Magazine)
Expressive, bright, dramatic, sassy and tender. Download this! (People Magazine)
Links
