Jackie’s self-produced CD, "Never Let Me Go" brought outstanding reviews. Her holiday album with jazz veteran Judy Roberts, paired two of the city's most popular female performers and inspired a series of standing-room concerts.
Jackie's work as a jazz educator has made her one of Chicago's most influential and respected vocal instructors.
Jackie Allen is a Midwestern native who grew up surrounded by music. Her father, Gene Allen, plays Dixieland jazz tuba, and she and her four siblings all played brass instruments. Her choice was the French horn. At the University of Wisconsin at Madison, she studied music with an eclectic mix of teachers including renowned jazz bassist Richard Davis and pianist/theoretician Joan Wildman; as well as studying voice with Lois Fisher and John Gilmore.
Jackie formed her first jazz quartet in the mid-1980s. It was while performing five nights a week as a duo with Mel Rhyne (the original keyboardist for jazz legend Wes Montgomery) that she began to develop her distinctive, sophisticated style . In Chicago, she performs regularly in clubs such as Lush Life, Andy’s, Green Mill, Pops for Champagne, and Toulouse.
"Never Let Me Go" (Lake Shore Jazz) received glowing reviews in Down Beat, Jazz Times, and the Chicago Tribune, making the national top-twenty and remaining on the charts for thirteen weeks. "Santa Baby," her holiday album, co-produced with pianist Judy Roberts, was named "the most endearing of the holiday albums" by the Chicago Tribune.
Jackie Allen's second solo album entitled "Which?," released on the Naxos Jazz label, was produced by Ralph Jungheim, producer of Grammy Award winners for Joe Williams and Ruth Brown. Jackie is featured on the acclaimed recording "Women Who Swing Chicago" (Big Chicago Records).
Jackie Allen has performed in Europe at the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her performance with bassist Hans Sturm at the International Bass Festival in Edinburgh was highly acclaimed. Jackie has also been featured on the main stage of the Chicago Jazz Festival and the Ravinia Festival.
Jackie has performed and recorded with jazz artists such as Patricia Barber, Bill Cunliffe, Richard Davis, Von Freeman, Eddie Higgins, Red Holloway, Roy McCurdy, and Ira Sullivan.
She has written songs recorded by major artists including Nnenna Freelon.
Jackie Allen is a popular and inspiring educator who has been the jazz vocal instructor at the Old Town School of Folk Music for many years. She has also been featured with a number of university jazz ensembles as a guest performer and clinician.
Jackie produced concerts for the Disney Institute in Florida, including a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. She is a Governor of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Chicago Chapter.
Neil Tesser, author of the Playboy Guide to Jazz, comments on her debut recording "With this recording, Jackie does more than debut. She arrives. And as the title suggests, she’s worth hanging on to."
Moon of Deception
Jackie Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A watch that don't know when
A window with out a view
Doves that cannot fly
A poet who won't lie
And aging ing??nue
Shift, drift,
Croon
Moon of deception
A song without a voice
A will seeking the choice
And archer losing his aim
Goddess with no shrine
A heartless valentine
A gambler chasing game
Shift drift
Skew my perceptions
Swoon
Croon
Moon of deception
Oh moon damn moon
Like a vision, you left too soon
Moon oh moon
You left on ports truth my tune (?)
A candle with no flame
The spring that never came
A fate not meant to be
Rivers that won't flow
Wisemen who don't know
Why night's still fooling me
Shift, drift,
Skew my perception swoon
Croon
Moon of deception,
Moon of deception,
Moon of deception
The lyrics of Jackie Allen's song Moon of Deception is a sad and contemplative ode to things that are incomplete and imperfect. The song starts with a writer who has no pen and a watch that doesn't know when, indicating that the creative process and time itself are elusive and hard to grasp. The line "doves that cannot fly" suggests unfulfilled potential, while the aging ing?nue exemplifies the transience of youth and beauty. The chorus "Shift, drift, skew my perceptions swoon, croon, moon of deception" conveys a sense of disorientation, confusion, and longing. The moon, as a symbol of romance and mystery, is both alluring and deceiving.
The second verse continues the theme of things that are missing or lost. A song without a voice and an archer losing his aim imply a lack of purpose and direction. The line "Goddess with no shrine, a heartless valentine, a gambler chasing game" suggests a world that lacks appreciation, love, and authenticity. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the impression of a dreamlike state, where reality blends with imagination, and truth and falsehood are hard to discern. The final verse adds more images of disappointment and frustration, such as a candle with no flame and a spring that never came, and ends with the plea of "why night's still fooling me."
Overall, the song Moon of Deception is a poignant reflection on the human condition, characterized by impermanence, insecurity, and longing. The lyrics touch upon universal themes such as aging, loss, and the search for meaning, and are enhanced by Jackie Allen's soulful and expressive voice.
Line by Line Meaning
A writer with no pen
A person without the tools they need to create
A watch that don't know when
Something which cannot fulfill its purpose
A window with out a view
Something that should provide perspective or clarity, but doesn't
Doves that cannot fly
Creatures that are unable to be free
A poet who won't lie
An artist who refuses to compromise their art for any reason
And aging ing??nue
A woman who is no longer young, but still holding onto her dreams of fame and success
Shift, drift,
Skew my perceptions swoon
Croon
Moon of deception
Feeling disoriented by a world that isn't what you thought it was, even to the point of delusion
A song without a voice
An idea that is unable to be fully expressed or realized
A will seeking the choice
A person struggling to find their path or make a decision
And archer losing his aim
Someone who has lost their focus or ability to aim true
Goddess with no shrine
A figure of worship with no one to worship them
A heartless valentine
An empty or false expression of love
A gambler chasing game
Someone pursuing something they will never be able to attain
Shift drift
Skew my perceptions
Swoon
Croon
Moon of deception
Feeling disoriented by a world that isn't what you thought it was, even to the point of delusion
Oh moon damn moon
Like a vision, you left too soon
The fleeting nature of beauty or inspiration
Moon oh moon
You left on ports truth my tune (?)
Dreams, ideas, or experiences that never fully materialized or were lost to time
A candle with no flame
Something that appears whole, but is missing a vital component
The spring that never came
The absence of renewal or growth where it was expected
A fate not meant to be
A sense of destiny or purpose that falls through
Rivers that won't flow
Natural phenomenon that refuses to behave as expected
Wisemen who don't know
Why night's still fooling me
Even the most experienced, insightful people can be fooled by something as mysterious as the night
Shift, drift,
Skew my perception swoon
Croon
Moon of deception,
Moon of deception,
Moon of deception
Feeling disoriented by a world that isn't what you thought it was, even to the point of delusion
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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