ABOUT ALYSSA
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Alyssa Allgood is a 2X DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll Rising Star Female Vocalist and 2X Chicago Reader Poll Best Individual Jazz Musician, praised for her "boldness, swagger and surefooted musicianship" (DownBeat Magazine) and "force, clarity and jazz integrity" (NYC Jazz Record). A versatile vocalist, songwriter, arranger, bandleader and educator, Allgood blends a soulful Chicago sound with rich improvisation and lyrics rooted in empowerment and human connection.
She has performed as a leader at major venues across North America, including the Chicago and Hyde Park Jazz Festivals, Dizzy's, Birdland, Mezzrow, Blues Alley, the Jazz Showcase, the Green Mill, Rudy’s Jazz Room, The Century Room, Blue Llama in the US, and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Frankie's, and Yardbird Suite in Canada.
As a recording artist, Allgood has released 4 full-length albums and 2 Eps. Her 2026 release, Leap, received a 3.5 star review from DownBeat Magazine. Her 2024 release, From Here, is a collection of original music recorded with internationally renowned musicians Geoffrey Keezer, John Patitucci, Kendrick Scott and Greg Ward. Two songs from the album were selected as finalists in the 2023 John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the 2023 International Songwriting Competition. Her previous albums earned praise for her lyrical expression, instrumental approach, and accomplished scat and vocalese singing.
Allgood’s awards include winning the Inaugural Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Voice Competition (2017), a semifinalist placement in the Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition (2015), where Al Jarreau led the jury, the David Baker Memorial Scholarship through the Jazz Education Network (2022), Best Jazz Entertainer in the Chicago Music Awards (2019), and a 2016 Jazz Improvisation Fellowship from the Luminarts Cultural Foundation.
Allgood teaches in the Jazz Department at Loyola University. She is a highly sought-after clinician, ensemble director and adjudicator who uses her experience on the bandstand to empower students and nurture their artistic journey. She holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from DePaul University, where she served as a graduate assistant. Her teaching work has taken her to the Jazz Education Network Conference, the University of North Texas's Jazz Lecture Series, the Illinois Music Educators Association, the Iowa Choral Directors Association, Anchor Music's Vocal Jazz Academy, jazzvoice.com, the University of Chicago, and many other institutions.