‘The Soul of Jazz’ exhibit in EPCOT coming to museums across the U.S.
The “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure” exhibit at the American Adventure in EPCOT is going on the road.
The exhibit is a tribute to a musical art form that originated by African Americans and fuses influences from many different cultures. Joe Gardner, the musician, mentor and teacher from Disney and Pixar’s “Soul,” takes visitors on a tour as they discover the rich and surprising history of jazz.
Walt Disney Imagineering partnered with three local museums to recreate an EPCOT experience for visitors and residents to enjoy in their hometown – illustrating the legacy each region impressed upon jazz’s dynamic history and evolving culture.
The exhibit will come to three museums into the following year:
- The New Orleans Jazz Museum in New Orleans kicks off the tour on Oct. 26.
- The exhibit then arrives at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri on Dec. 10, showcasing the region’s lasting influence on the genre, and the prolific musicians who pumped creativity into the arteries of America’s heartland.
- In Feb. 2022, “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure” will come to the National Jazz Museum in New York City.
Musician and co-composer of Disney and Pixar’s “Soul,” Jon Batiste, hopes the takeaway from this exhibit is one that makes people want to sing, dance, and feel the transcendence that jazz evokes. Similar to the joy and deeply rooted nostalgia Walt Disney created in his theme parks, “jazz really has the ability to do that and add to that vision in a way that’s tremendous,” Batiste remarks.
Each installment of the “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure” experience will feature a unique collection of artifacts curated by local museums. Visitors will also find two maquettes of characters Joe Gardner and Dorothea Williams, and are also invited to make the experience virtual by snapping a photo with Joe and the band, and by testing their knowledge of jazz and interacting with the exhibit by using the Play Disney Parks mobile app.
