If you’ve seen movies like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club, then you’ve experienced the talents of actress Molly Ringwald. Molly is also a jazz singer and has recently released a new album. Molly will join the Columbus Jazz Orchestra for a series of shows in February entitled “Don’t You Forget About Me” (February 6-9 2014 at the Southern Theatre). More information from the Jazz Arts Group:
Under the direction of world-renowned band leader and trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO) continues to break new ground while honoring the rich heritage of America’s classical music – jazz. In “Don’t You Forget About Me” (February 6-9 at the Southern Theatre), everyone’s favorite former teenager joins the CJO in a salute to the Great American Songbook.
From the big screen to the stage, Molly Ringwald has done it all. Making a name for herself as one of the greatest teen stars of all time in John Hughes’ classics like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club, Molly has now made her imprint in the jazz world releasing her new album, Except…Sometimes. An homage to the Great American Songbook, Ringwald has crafted a carefully chosen selection of jazz standards which she caps off with her take on The Breakfast Club classic, “Don’t You (Forget About Me).”
“Molly was inspired by classic jazz singers like Bessie Smith and Ella Fitzgerald,” shares Stripling. “With the full CJO cookin’ behind her, Molly will dig deep into her vocal jazz roots while providing an entertaining evening bubbling with energetic swing!”
Audience members can join Byron Stripling for a casual and engaging conversation with Molly Ringwald and the wonderful guest artists of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra in a new workshop series at the Jazz Academy. “Offstage at the Jazz Academy” provides participants a behind-the-scenes glimpse from the artist perspective on performing with the CJO – adding new perspective to being an audience member. In addition to the opportunity to learn something new, each guest artist will be asked to share what they are currently listening to on their iPods or CD players, introducing audiences to new and exciting music and artists. “Offstage at the Jazz Academy” is free to CJO subscribers and $10 for general registrants. Pre-registration is requested and available at www.jazzartsgroup.org.
About Molly Ringwald:
Molly Ringwald has always surrounded herself with a love of culture and good taste. A true renaissance woman, she has been surrounded by music, theater, film, and literary pursuits her whole life. She was introduced to jazz by her father, a jazz pianist in Northern California. In fact, she sang on an album that he produced when she was six years old. Fulfilling her lifelong love of jazz, Molly most recently released her debut CD, Except…Sometimes, produced by industry veteran Peter Smith (Kenny Burrell, Bobby Watson) and featuring the talents of Clayton Cameron (Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, B.B. King), Winston Byrd (Natalie Cole, Roy Hargrove, Charles Tolliver), Trevor Ware (Hubert Laws, Jimmy Heath) and Allen Mezquida (Brad Mehldau, Bill Charlap).
After a brief stint in The Facts of Life, her first television role, Molly began her film career at the age of 13 in Paul Mazursky’s The Tempest, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. She went on to star in numerous films, including The Pick-Up Artist, For Keeps, Fresh Horses, Betsy’s Wedding, Cindy Sherman’s directorial debut Office Killer, Billy Bob Thornton’s short film Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade, and the now-iconic John Hughes’ coming-of-age movies Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink.
In 1992, Ms. Ringwald moved to Paris and acted in such foreign films as Tous Les Jours Dimanches, Enfants de Salaud, and Jean-Luc Goddard’s King Lear. Her television credits include the critically-acclaimed comedy series Townies, Stephen King’s The Stand, the Emmy-nominated Allison Gertz Story, and the movie Molly: An American Girl, based on the American Girl series.
In 1997, Ms. Ringwald moved to New York City, where she starred in Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize winning How I Learned to Drive, a role she reprised at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Subsequent theater credits include playing the legendary “Sally Bowles” in the Broadway production of Cabaret; the Tony-nominated Broadway production of Enchanted April; and the London production of When Harry Met Sally. She created the role of Horton Foote’s Lily Dale in the NY off-Broadway production, performed the role of Salome (with Al Pacino) and starred in Jonathon Larson’s musical Tick Tick Boom! and the hit comedy Modern Orthodox. She recently starred in a national theater tour of the Bob Fosse musical Sweet Charity.
She can currently be seen starring in the breakout hit The Secret Life of the American Teenager on ABC Family where, happily, she is not the teenager.
She recently released the paperback version of her best selling book Getting The Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick. Originally released as a hardback in April 2010, the book (which was her first venture as an author) hit both the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times’ Best Seller Lists. Her second book, When it Happens to You: A Novel in Stories, was released in August 2012 and was a national bestseller.
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