The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure exhibit opens at EPCOT

ORLANDO, Fla. – Walt Disney World opened the new EPCOT exhibit, The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure on Monday.

The exhibit is located inside the American Adventure and introduces guests to the colorful and surprising history of jazz. Disney officials said the exhibit will feature Joe Gardner, the music teacher and mentor from the new animated Disney-Pixar film, “Soul.”

Guests will learn about the musical history of jazz as well the cultures it has created in the cities of New Orleans, Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico.

Along with the rich history, guests will be able to get up-close to artifacts from legendary jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong. Disney officials said anyone visiting the new experience can use the Play Disney Parks mobile app to interact with the exhibit and test their knowledge of the musical genre.

“Jazz is the story of America. It unites people from every walk of life, and it’s a living breathing art form that is always evolving and always changing,” said Carmen Smith, creative executive with Walt Disney Imagineering “We’re working with top jazz museums across this country from New Orleans to New York and we’re excited to have their participation in this project.”

Disney shared on its blog a message from Jazz musician Jon Batiste.