Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Takes Note from New Orleans Musicians

A resident of New Orleans for many years, often times one of the aspects I miss most is the music. No matter where you turn, there’s no possible way to escape the tunes, even a street car brings about a certain rhythm as it barrels down the tracks. It truly is a small world after all as our parks have a lot in common with New Orleans. Music is what it’s all about and often times one might say what you hear in a Disney park will even “follow you home.”

Dropping into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, opening today in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and later this year at Disneyland Resort, Disney Parks and New Orleans are coming together in a pretty epic way. In the words of Princess Tiana herself, fairy tales can come true — the entire Tiana’s Bayou Adventure soundtrack is available NOW on Walt Disney Records across all streaming platforms!

When streaming the soundtrack, you won’t want to miss the all-new, original song “Special Spice” — written, produced and performed by Grammy-Award winner PJ Morton with vocals by Anika Noni Rose, the original voice of Princess Tiana and Disney Legend.

As the story goes, Princess Tiana is getting ready to throw a big party, but there’s been a bit of a mix-up between Prince Naveen and Louis. Suddenly, the princess finds herself in need of a band. A true celebration during Mardi Gras season isn’t complete without music, and Tiana and Louis search for this essential missing ingredient – musical critters! After a journey through the bayou, we soon discover the “Special Spice” making this joyful, one-of-a-kind celebration complete is in fact YOU.

Following a sneak peek in episode 2 of “We Call It Imagineering,” we’re digging a little deeper into what you’ll hear going down the bayou. Not only will you find yourself singing along to “Special Spice,” there are even new renditions of familiar favorites from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “The Princess and the Frog.” You can hear these tunes by PJ Morton on the attraction and in the queue by Terence Blanchard, from “Gonna Take You There” to “Down in New Orleans” and more!

PJ and Terence recorded this special soundtrack in New Orleans just for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! Alongside Disney Imagineers, they worked with hundreds of artists who contributed their talents throughout the attraction and queue area.

Just a handful of the musicians involved in the attraction are:                   

Anika Noni Rose – The beloved voice of Princess Tiana and Disney Legend returns to the role once again, singing vocals on “Special Spice”!

Jon Batiste, Jon Cleary and Trombone Shorty — The Grammy-award winning and multi-hyphenate musicians performed on songs throughout the attraction! 

Tarriona “Tank” Ball – A New Orleans native and singer performed a new rendition of “Dig A Little Deeper” for the attraction. 

Dirty Dozen Brass Band — The group played and sang the song “They All Asked for You,” a song familiar to many of the residents of New Orleans.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band — The group played with an all-star rhythm section assembled by Terence Blanchard, including “Louisiana Fairytale,” “Tailgate Ramble” and “Bourbon Street Parade.”

Leah Chase Kamata – The daughter of Dooky and Leah Chase, the NOLA staple and accomplished singer lent her voice for the queue song, “Do you Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans.” 

Charlie Gabriel — An icon in the New Orleans music community, the 91-year-old musician sang lead vocal and played clarinet on “Tailgate Ramble.” 

Terrance Simien – The two-time Grammy winner and phenomenal Zydeco artist performed the queue version of “Gonna Take You There.”

We’re so immensely proud and excited to celebrate all the music featured in and around Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Thank you to all the musicians involved!

Music Production Team – Attraction

Musicians & Vocalists

RAM Band 

Gospel Soul Children

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra

Music Production Team – Queue

Musicians & Vocalists

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

The Soul Rebels

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band