Anaheim jazz exhibition trumpets Black creativity
A new music exhibition coming to Downtown Disney that pays tribute to Black history in America and the Oscar- and Grammywinning animated film “Soul” explores the legacy of jazz in New Orleans, Harlem, Kansas City and across the United States.
“The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure” touring exhibition will run from June 1-July 4 at the former ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney as part of Disneyland’s continuing Celebrate Soulfully campaign. Admission is free to Downtown Disney visitors.
Joe Gardner — the central character in Pixar’s 2020 animated movie “Soul” — takes visitors on a jazz tour across America in the exhibition, which celebrates the musical art form originated by African Americans.
The exhibition started out at the American Adventure attraction at Disney’s Epcot theme park in Florida and has made stops at the New Orleans Jazz Museum; American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri; and National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
Walt Disney Imagineering worked with the cultural institutions and music experts to create the exhibition. Imagineering tailored it to reflect local jazz history and culture at each stop, with each museum adding artifacts from its unique collection.
At stops along the tour, the exhibition has included artifacts from legendary jazz musicians Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie.
It includes a pair of Imagineering maquette scale models of “Soul” pianist Gardner and saxophonist Dorothea Williams. Visitors can snap photos with images of Gardner, Williams and the other jazz musicians who play the Half Note Club in the Pixar film.
The Play Disney Parks mobile app offers visitors a chance to test their jazz knowledge and learn more about the exhibition.
“The Soul of Jazz” runs during Black Music Month as part of Disneyland’s Celebrate Soulfully campaign, which celebrates the work of Black artists through music, dance, food and stories.
Throughout the exhibition’s run, R&B, jazz, funk, Motown and doo-wop groups will play during the evening on the Downtown Disney stage next to the former ESPN Zone and Star Wars Trading Post.