When in doubt, go to the Gospel Tent has long been my Jazz Fest motto. The reason? Because that place always swings from the heart and soul.

It is in the Gospel Tent that one can hear the roots which are at the base of so many other styles of music presented around the Fair Grounds. Can I get a witness? Yes, gospel can easily be detected at the Fest, personified by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin-who, of course, got her start in gospel music under her influential father, the Reverend C....