One of my favorite things to do at World Showcase in EPCOT is to walk around and check out all of the exhibits in each of the countries. Starting later this month, for the first time ever, one of these exhibitions will be starting a tour to museums around the country!
Located inside the American Adventure pavilion as its title suggests, “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure,” covers the rich history of jazz in the United States following from the inspiration for Disney and Pixar’s Soul. The exhibition is a beautiful tribute to jazz as a form of American art with information and artifacts conveying its history and cultural importance to Guests visiting EPCOT from all over the world.
“The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure,” will begin its tour around the United States on October 26, 2021. Later this fall and into 2022, the exhibition will then be on view at the New Orleans Jazz Museum in New Orleans, the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
Curators and Disney Imagineers teamed up to create an authentic EPCOT experience in each location that also celebrates the history and impact of jazz in those cities. In addition to the collection you may have seen on display in EPCOT, each show will have artifacts uniquely curated by the local museum. Guests will also find two maquettes of characters Joe Gardner and Dorothea Williams, and they will be invited to participate in a virtual experience by snapping a photo with Joe and the band, and by playing some trivia on the exhibit by using the Play Disney Parks mobile app.
The exhibition’s first stop will be the New Orleans Jaz Museum on October 26, followed by the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City on December 10, and the National Jazz Museum in New York City in February 2022. If you happen to be visiting any of these cities, we highly recommend checking out the exhibit. Even if you’ve seen it in EPCOT, it would be interesting to see the new items added by each museum!