‘I Just Went for It’: Acclaimed Joni Mitchell Tribute Comes to Jorgensen
Musician and actor Rainee Blake will bring her performance of “TAKE ME AS I AM: A Joni Mitchell Tribute” to Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, October 4 at 8 p.m.
“As the iconic Joni Mitchell, Rainee Blake’s performance succeeds in transforming the stage into a time machine,” said Ernest Kearney of TheTVolution.com of the award-winning presentation.
Blake, a singer-songwriter and writer best known for her role as Alannah on CMT’s “Nashville,” plays Joni Mitchell in an intimate concert experience that includes Mitchell’s most memorable songs and the stories that inspired them. The show is set on a night in 1976 after Mitchell returned home from a solo road trip across America and just before the release of her acclaimed album “Hejira.” Playing both guitar and dulcimer Blake, performs classic songs from the Mitchell catalog including “Woodstock,” “Both Sides Now” and “A Case of You.”
“I wanted to write a show for myself that could be a showcase for my acting as well as my music,” Blake said during an interview on WHUS’ Good Music Show on Oct. 1. “Portraying Joni Mitchell is a serious undertaking, and I take it very seriously.”
AllMusic describes Joni Mitchell as “the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century.” She is known for her unconventional compositions and personal lyrics that have used elements of pop, jazz, rock and other genres based on tunings on her guitar. She had 13 Top 40 charted albums, with 1971’s “Blue,” considered by Rolling Stone Magazine among the Top 50 Albums of All Time.
In 2021, UConn presented a conference titled “Joni Mitchell’s Blue at 50: A Celebration of Her Life and Music,” a day-long virtual conference with presentations by internationally renowned authors, scholars, music critics. Mitchell was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997.
Blake discussed the development of her Mitchell tribute and her upcoming activities with WHUS on the Good Music show (Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.):
Latest UConn Today
- 10 Questions With Jacqueline Caemmerer on Multiple Regression and BeyondThe school psychology faculty member showcases her other area of expertise – statistics – in her first book
- USDA Grant Funds Study of Multiplex Genome Editing in TomatoesThrough a $650,000 USDA Grant Yi Li will study the unintended consequences of multiplex genome editing and how many modifications can be made before these effects are triggered
- UConn Pharmacy Honors Five Pharmacists at the 23rd Annual Preceptor EventThis past October, the UConn School of Pharmacy recognized five outstanding pharmacists at its 23rd annual Preceptor Event. Dedicated to student mentorship in pharmacy practice, Samantha Russo, Christopher Batista, Barbara Fiano, Youssef Bessada, and Roy Walton have excelled in guiding future pharmacists.
- Preparing the Next Generation of School District Leaders: The Impact of UConn’s Executive Leadership ProgramThis year, alumni from various cohorts stepped into new superintendent and central office roles that allow them to strengthen communities and expand educational opportunities
- UConn Quantum Alliance Shatters Disciplinary SilosThe University has more than 80 faculty researchers across several schools and colleges who are involved in quantum-related projects
- UConn Startup Revolutionizes Food Preservation… Through KelpSeed funding from a USDA Small Business Innovation Research Grant will help Atlantic Sea Solutions, Inc. (DBA Atlas) develop a prototype of its edible food coating – a groundbreaking technology that could create new opportunities for Connecticut sugar kelp farmers
