Aretha Franklin [ tickets ] has been tapped to headline the 2008 JVC Jazz Festival [ tickets ] Aug. 9 in Newport, RI. The Queen of Soul will be joined at this year's Newport fest by Sonny Rollins [ tickets ], Wayne Shorter [ tickets ], Chris Botti [ tickets ] and Herbie Hancock [ tickets ], among others.

The festival will kick off Aug. 8 with Botti and Ledisi [ tickets ] at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino. The following two days of the fest will be held at Fort Adams State Park.