World Gospel Jam 2006

-What have been some of the major highlights of the Cisco Systems' Bluesfest Gospel Tent or gospel component?

Voice Of Praise

The tent was a highlight in itself! The charismatic church is fast growing and people are curious. That’s how the Gospel Tent came about. We're talking about a tent seating 2,000 on the previous Bluesfest sites at Lebreton Flats and Confederation Park, and the average attendance at the festival is somewhere in the range of 200,000. So this was the only venue that had a covered tent that accommodated that many festival goers. We're talking about artists like Mavis Staples, Pastor Hezekiah Walker and his Love Fellowship Choir from New York; Chicago’s Ricky Dillard and New G; another New York choir, James Hall & Worship and Praise. From Oakland, California, former rapper-turned-preacher, Reverend MC Hammer also stopped by.

-What about the Bluesfest Gospel Stage as a way to showcase local talent, do you feel that has given any impetus to gospel scene here in Ottawa?

T-Bone

Absolutely! The whole premise behind the Blues Festival is to create an avenue, especially for those artists in this city. Although it's an international event - the second largest blues festival in the world after Chicago - the Ottawa Blues Festival's success as well as that of the Gospel Stage, is really driven by the local performers and volunteers. Many local artists like Voices of Praise have been headliners at the Festival. Artists like Ottawa gospel diva Kathy Grant Mahon, who is currently recording in New York, have used the festival as a platform to further their careers. There's also the Cornerstone Cathedral Choir, Divine Connection and many other local choirs that have done well at the festival.

-This year, you've decided to add a new component to the Gospel Stage?

Dickson And The Haitian Mass

For the first time, it will be a little more international in its scope. Typically over the years, we would bring gospel artists from Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal then we'd look for acts south of the border in the U.S. This year, as part of a new program we're instituting called the BROAD Communities Program (Bluesfest Reaching Out to Align with the diverse communities, we're trying to attract the diverse members within this city’s community (Jamaicans, Haitians, Latinos, Trinees, etc...) who love gospel music. This is a pilot project featuring artists from different countries in order to make the Bluesfest more representative of the City of Ottawa. So we'll be having performers like Jamaica's own reggae superstar Papa San, Haiti's Dixon Guillaume and the Haitian Mass Choir, El Salvador’s gospel rapper/actor T-Bone, and also some American acts like Chicago's Malcolm Williams and Great Faith. Then there's the local talent: from Ottawa, Patrick Prosper Laguerre and God's Plan Ministry as well as Voices of Praise; also from Toronto, 2004 and 2005 Gospel Music Reggae Gospel Award winner, Kay Morris. So Saturday, July 15th this year will be a fun time for anyone who enjoys a variety of gospel music!