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."
Solitary Moon
Jackie Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is wrapped around us
And the dawn might come too soon
When the only light
That's found us
Is the solitary moon
When the songbird in the willow
Once again
You share my pillow
Making love to me
Tenderly
Here, as we share
The silent moon
As it slowly sails above us
In it's solitary flight
Seems the moon
Must surely love us
As it bathes us in it's light
Say that we can spent the day
Through a sunlit afternoon
Let your kisses say
You'll stay here
And make love to me
Tenderly
Here, as we share
The silent moon.
Say that we can spent the day here
Through a sunlit afternoon
Let your kisses say
You'll stay here
And make love to me
Tenderly
Here, as we share
The silent moon
The solitary moon
Tender loving moon
The sedentary moon
The song "Solitary Moon" by Jackie Allen is a beautiful and romantic ballad that speaks of a couple who are spending the night together while basking in the light of the solitary moon. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery and metaphors that describe the intimacy and tenderness between the two lovers. The first verse sets the scene of the night and how the light of the moon is the only illumination they have. The second verse describes how the songbird in the willow sings a soulful tune as the couple shares a pillow and makes love tenderly. The repetition of the phrase "Here, as we share the silent moon" emphasizes the closeness and intimacy they share.
The chorus metaphorically describes the moon as a benevolent presence that seems to love them by bathing them in its light. The final verse speaks of spending the day together and letting their kisses speak of their desire to stay together and make love. The phrase "tender loving moon" in the last line of the song emphasizes the tenderness and love that the couple share.
Overall, "Solitary Moon" is a powerful and poignant song that speaks of the power of love and intimacy between two people. The imagery of the moon serves as a representation of this love and the solitude that the couple share. The song is beautifully written and performed, making it a classic romantic ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
When the night
During the period of darkness
Is wrapped around us
The darkness surrounds us completely
And the dawn might come too soon
The upcoming sunrise may arrive too quickly
When the only light
The single source of illumination
That's found us
That we have ultimately come across
Is the solitary moon
Is solely the moon
When the songbird in the willow
While the bird that sings inside the willow tree
Sings a soft and soulful tune
Produces a gentle and emotional melody
Once again
One more time
You share my pillow
You sleep beside me
Making love to me
Engage in romantic actions with me
Tenderly
Gently and affectionately
Here, as we share
In this place, as we are together
The silent moon
The quiet and tranquil moon
As it slowly sails above us
As it leisurely glides over us
In it's solitary flight
During its lone excursion
Seems the moon
Appears as though the moon
Must surely love us
Must absolutely care for us
As it bathes us in it's light
As it shines its luminosity upon us
Say that we can spend the day
Express that we have the ability to utilize this day
Through a sunlit afternoon
During a midday filled with sunshine
Let your kisses say
Allow your kisses to communicate
You'll stay here
You will continue to remain here
And make love to me
And show physical affection to me
Tenderly
Gently and devotedly
Here, as we share
In this location, as we are united
The solitary moon
The single and only moon
Tender loving moon
Gentle, caring moon
The sedentary moon
The motionless moon, stationary in the sky
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALAN BERGMAN, MARILYN BERGMAN, JOHNNY MANDEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind