For Wilson Savoy and Cedric Watson, forming the Pine Leaf Boys has helped them reconnect to their roots.

On the second Friday of this year’s Jazz Fest, the Pine Leaf Boys made their Fair Grounds debut. There was a lot riding on the show because Cajun music desperately needed a young band to come forward and get young audiences excited about the genre. If any act was going to break through the domination of zydeco a...