Originally from Mattawan, MI, Molly Konzen is a pianist and vocalist based in Grand Rapids, MI. Her passion for music goes back to early childhood, but she also loves biology and received a Bachelor's of Science in biomedical sciences from Western Michigan University. Though she has been playing piano and singing for over thirty years, she is almost entirely self-taught. She writes her own music and has released two full-length original albums, two full-length jazz standard cover albums, and in 2023 she released her fifth album, a jazzy spin on a compilation of classic pop tunes from the last several decades. Molly performs solo, accompanying herself on the piano, or sings in groups with other instrumentalists. She has spent a lot of time on stage and enjoys performing at festivals, venues, events, and private parties, but she also loves to do volunteer work, performing solo at senior living and healthcare facilities and charity events. Molly’s repertoire is vast and she is able to play a wide range of music, always with her own jazzy twist added into the mix.
The Molly Konzen Jazz Band is a name that promises talented musicians and quality music performance. Molly draws her bandmates from a wide network of top jazz musicians from the midwest. No matter if Molly performs in a duo or up to a six-piece band, she always brings extremely talented instrumentalists that have professional training and most often hold degrees in music performance. Their sound is classically jazzy, reminiscent of the good ol’ days of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, but they play songs spanning from all across the last century.
In December 2016, the Molly Konzen Jazz Band released two full-length albums, “Play Me” and “It’s Only Right.” These two albums are collections of original music written by Molly Konzen. They were recorded in Chicago at Steve Yates Recording Studio with well-known Chicago musicians, including Buddy Guy’s Legends’ own Brother John Kattke & Marty Binder, and jazz professor at Harold Washington College, Corey Biggerstaff. There were also appearances of three Kalamazoo musicians, Nathan Dannison, Nick Vander Vliet, and Jeremy Rilko, noted members of the band Who Hit John?, and a musician in several bands from Sonoma County in CA, including the Westminster Chorus, Adam Ehrenpfort.
In 2017, Molly released two full-length jazz cover albums: “The Hepcat Collection” and “Blue Notes and Saucy Swing.” She was happy to be joined on these two albums by a group of incredible once-local-to-Kalamazoo jazz musicians including Max Brown (lead guitarist for War & Treaty), Ted Hogarth (long-time Broadway reeds performer and notable saxophonist from several Chicago area bands), Rufus Ferguson (Assistant Professor of Jazz and Popular Music at Albion College), Steven Perry (pursuing a Masters in percussion at Temple University), and Mike Horrigan (acoustic and electric bassist for the United States Air Force).
In 2023, Molly released her fifth full-length album with the Molly Konzen Jazz Band. "Records Off the Shelf" features Molly singing, backed by three incredible WMU Jazz graduates of varying specialties: Anthony Healy (jazz pianist and music teacher at Stillwater Area Public Schools), Ryan Demeniuk (professional drummer in Nashville, TN), and Jack McDonald (acoustic and electric bassist for the United States Air Force). This album has covers of classic pop tunes from the last seven decades done in jazzy styles. These are hit tunes from artists ranging from Elton John to the White Stripes, The Beatles to Brittany Spears. The new album is available on Spotify, iTunes, and other major digital music platforms.
The Molly Konzen Jazz Band can be hired for private parties, venues, festivals, live stream or pre-recorded shows for remote performances, etc. Please contact Molly for more information.
Copyright © 2024 Molly Konzen Music - All Rights Reserved.
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