Music on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
All photos ©Disney unless otherwise noted
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is opening in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World on June 28th! The new attraction is a musical adventure through the bayou with some music from the film and some original music inspired by the film composed for the attraction. Music is essential to the plot of the ride, which features musical critters and various styles of music popular in New Orleans. For more details, check out this post!
Everything We Know So Far About Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
Music
Music is integral to both New Orleans and The Princess and the Frog, and will be a central feature of the musical adventure on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The attraction includes music from the film, new renditions of fan-favorite songs, and new music in collaboration with PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard, New Orleans native musicians. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure also features 16 new musical critters playing Zydeco, Rara, and Afro-Cuban music on makeshift instruments being constructed out of natural materials and human-made found objects.
PJ Morton is a four time Grammy winner with six straight years of Grammy nominations as an independent artist. Morton wrote, arranged, and produced an original song for the attraction and creating new arrangements of The Princess and the Frog songs.
Terence Blanchard is a seven time Grammy winner for discography and trumpet expertise. He also played all the trumpet parts for Louis the alligator in The Princess and the Frog. Blanchard is creating musical arrangements for the queue and helping to select songs to use for the attraction from The Princess and the Frog.
Ride Music
Recently, Walt Disney Imagineering launched a new YouTube series, We Call It Imagineering. On the series viewers will be brought behind the scenes at Walt Disney Imagineering with the second episode giving a behind-the-scenes look at how music is created for Disney attractions and entertainment. The episode includes a first look at the finale of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure including the new original song written for the ride, “Special Spice”. The new original song is written by PJ Morton and features vocals by the original voice of Princess Tiana and Disney Legend, Anika Noni Rose. “Special Spice” is a lyrical love letter to New Orleans and was recorded along with new renditions of songs from The Princess and the Frog for the attraction.
“Special Spice” released on Walt Disney Records on Friday, May 31st and can be found across all music streaming platforms. Additional music heard on the ride includes “Down in New Orleans”, “Almost There”, “Gonna Take You There”, and “Dig a Little Deeper” from The Princess and the Frog with new arrangements for the attraction.
In addition to Anika Noni Rose, musicians involved in the attraction include Jon Batiste, Jon Cleary, and Trombone Shorty, Grammy-award winning musicians. New Orleans native and singer Tarriona “Tank” Ball also performs a new rendition of “Dig a Little Deeper” for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Disney Parks Blog has a full list of musical credits, listed here:
Music Production Team – Attraction
Brandon Caddell – Arranger, Music Supervisor
PJ Morton – Producer, Composer, Arranger
Haim Mazar – Arranger
Richard Morse – Arranger (Scene 6 Rara)
Reggie Nicholas, Jr. – Recording Engineer, Mixer
Greg Morgan – Recording Engineer, Mixer
John Michael Rouchell – Music Production Supervisor
Susan Ham – Music Editor
Booker White – Copyist
RAM Band
Richard Morse
Pierre Daniel Jules
Darianna Videaux Capitel
Emmanuel Jules
Joseph D. Cabral
Max Blanc
Peter Barr
Walter F. Harris Jr.
Dezor Willy
Gospel Soul Children
Craig Adams
Veronica Downs-Dorsey
Tiffany French
Shantell Hall
Sean Johnson
Toryan Johnson
Latashah Long
Harrison Nedd III
Keenan Rogers
Milezone Williams
New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
Miles Berry
John Michael Bradford
Bryce Eastwood
Ricio Fruge
Maxwell Paulus
Shea Pierre
TJ Norris
Adonis Rose
Adrian Ross
Amina Scott
Terrance Taplin
Don Vappie
Gerald Watkins Jr.
Lex Warshawski
Musicians & Vocalists
Anika Noni Rose
Michael-Leon Wooley
Dr. John
Jim Cummings
Tarriona “Tank” Ball
Jarell Michael Bankston
Ashtin Fortner
Armando Leduc
Tiondria Norris
Ashley Pierre Williams
PJ Morton
Jon Batiste
Jon Cleary
Trombone Shorty
Kyle Anderson
Sean Ardoin
Weedie Braimah
Max Bronstein
Leon Brown
Hunter Burgamy
Robin Clabby
Edward Clark
Brian Cockerham
Mike Esneault
Alvin Ford
Jonathan Frishberg
Victor Goines
Julian Gosin
Benjamin Hart
Trevarri Huff-Boone
Jason Jurzak
Blair Taylor Lavigne
Christos Melios
Ashlin Parker
Manuel Perkins
David Pulphus
Marcella Ratcliff
Jason Ricci
Paul Robertson
Kyle Roussel
Benjamin Thacher
Erion Williams
Hannah Yim
Queue Music
The attraction’s queue features a New Orleans radio station playing authentic jazz versions of popular songs from The Princess and the Frog including “Down in New Orleans”, “Ma Belle Evangeline”, and more. Helmed by Terence Blanchard, the music in the queue showcases New Orleans music. The queue also features a rendition of the Louis Armstrong song, “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans”, performed by Leah Chase Kamata, legendary singer, teacher, and daughter of Chef Leah Chase (one of the inspirations for Tiana). The radio station also shares important messages about the search for musicians for Tiana’s big party.
The queue also features music by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band playing with an “all-star rhythm section” assembled by Terence Blanchard, including “Bourbon Street Parade”, “Louisiana Fairytale”, and “Tailgate Ramble”. The queue version of “Gonna Take You There” is performed by Zydeco artist and two-time Grammy winner, Terrance Simien. “Tailgate Ramble” is performed by Charlie Gabriel, a 91-year old New Orleans musician who sings and plays the clarinet on the song.
The music from the queue of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was released by Walt Disney Records on streaming platforms on June 28th and features 18 songs. The songs include:
“Special Spice” - Anika Noni Rose; written and produced by PJ Morton
“Basin Street Blues” - Terence Blanchard; written by Spencer Williams, produced by Terence Blanchard
“The Second Line” - Julian Gosin; written by Paul Barbarin, produced by Terence Blanchard
“Down in New Orleans” - Victor Goines; written by Randy Newman, produced by Terence Blanchard
“Tailgate Ramble” - Charlie Gabriel; written by Joe Wingy Manone & Johnny Mercer; produced by Terence Blanchard
“St. James Infirmary” - Ronell Johnson, Mark Braud; written by Irving Mills; produced by Terence Blanchard
“Lousiana Fairytale” - Clinton Maegden; written by Haven Gillespie, J. Fred Coots, and Mitchell Parish; produced by Terence Blanchard
“When We’re Human” - Terence Blanchard; written by Randy Newman; produced by Terence Blanchard
“Bourbon Street Parade” - Mark Braud; written by Paul Barbarin; produced by Terence Blanchard
“Eh La Bas” - Ronell Johnson; Traditional song; produced by Terence Blanchard
“Big Chief” - Kyle Roussel; written by Earl King Johnson; produced by Terence Blanchard
“Li’l Liza Jane” - Herlin Riley; written by Herlin Riley from a Traditional song; produced by Terence Blanchard
“Gonna Take You There” - Terrance Simien; written by Randy Newman; produced by Terence Blanchard
“Doctor Jazz” - Kyle Roussel, Mark Braud; written by King Oliver & Walter Melrose; produced by Terence Blanchard
“They All Ask’d for You” - Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Gregory Davis; written by Arthur Lanon Neville, Cyril Neville, George Joseph Porter Jr., Joseph Modeliste Jr., and Leo Nocentelli; produced by Terence Blanchard
“Ma Belle Evangeline” - Terence Blanchard; written by Randy Newman; produced by Terence Blanchard
“Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?” (Vocal Version) - Leah Chase Kamata; written by Eddie DeLange & Louis Alter; produced by Terence Blanchard
“It Ain’t My Fault” - Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Cast; written by Smokey Robinson & Wardell Quezergue; produced by Terence Blanchard
Disney Parks Blog has a full list of musical credits, listed here:
Music Production Team – Queue
Terence Blanchard – Arranger, Music Producer
Terrance Simien – Arranger (“Gonna Take You There”)
Herlin Riley – Lyricist
Greg Hayes – Recording Engineer, Mixer
Harry Risoleo – Recording Engineer, Music Editor
John Michael Rouchell – Music Production Supervisor
Joshua Johnson – Music Coordinator
Katie Taber – Music Coordinator
Booker White – Copyist
Musicians & Vocalists
Terence Blanchard
Herlin Riley
Kyle Roussel
David Pulphus
Ivan Neville
Victor Goines
Don Vappie
Alvin Ford
Hannah Yim
Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes
Terrance Simien
Danny Williams
Ian Molinaro-Thompson
Marcella Simien
Michael Christie
Revon Andrews
Stan Chambers
John Michael Rouchell
Leah Chase-Kamata
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Charles Gabriel
Clinton Maedgen
Mark Braud
Benjamin Jaffe
Ronell Johnson
The Soul Rebels
Derrick Moss
Lumar Leblanc
Julian Gosin
Corey Peyton
Erion Williams
Paul Robertson
Manuel Perkins
Marcus Hubbard
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Roger Lewis
Gregory Davis
Kirk Joseph
Trevarri Huff-Boone
Stephen Walker
Julian Addison
More information including credits for the music production teams, musicians and vocalists can be found on Disney Parks Blog.