[1] Critic Thom Jurek said, "her gift with more pop-oriented material is utterly distinctive and even innovative, since there isn't another singer out there who phrases like her".

She studied singing and jazz at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, then moved back to Milwaukee, where she performed with Melvin Rhyne.

The project was successful and the label sent Jackie and her group on an Asian tour, including an appearance as the first jazz artists to perform at the Beijing Music Festival.

"[5] Since 2002 Allen has performed and recorded primarily with an ensemble that includes John Moulder (guitar), Dane Richeson(percussion), and Hans Sturm (bass) with the addition of either Ben Lewis, Laurence Hobgood, or Tom Larson (keyboards), Orbert Davis or Tito Carillo (trumpets), and Steve Eisen (woodwinds).

The result was the 2009 live album Starry Night that features Allen's band with the symphony in a program of star-themed tunes arranged by John Clayton, Frank Proto, Bill Cunliffe, Mark Buselli, and Matt Harris.

Christopher Loudon, writing for Jazz Times remarked "Eight years’ absence from the recording studio has done nothing to diminish Jackie Allen’s allure.

John McDonough wrote in Downbeat Magazine that Jackie "showcases a polished virtuosity...a shimmering paradigm of stylish and sophisticated jazz singing.

Allen also taught a torch-singing class as a community outreach project, helping small groups of adult students learn to sing in public.