The Liza Jane Sessions
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Feature
Documentary, Music
Your support will enable a two-day film shoot in New Orleans, honoring one of America’s most iconic folk songs, Liza Jane. NOLA musicians will tell its epic musical story, linking audiences through a shared musical heritage. Help us capture the song’s legacy and impact for generations to come.
The Liza Jane Sessions
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Feature
Documentary, Music
1 Campaigns | District of Columbia, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $10,650 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
82 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Your support will enable a two-day film shoot in New Orleans, honoring one of America’s most iconic folk songs, Liza Jane. NOLA musicians will tell its epic musical story, linking audiences through a shared musical heritage. Help us capture the song’s legacy and impact for generations to come.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Help match a grant from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation that will enable a two-day film shoot in the Big Easy. Our project will tell the journey of one of the most enduring songs in the American canon and revive its relevance for today.
With origins among enslaved people, “Liza Jane” later popped up among Civil War regiments, defied the Jim Crow era, became a national sensation during World War I, and took center stage during the Civil Rights movement. It is irresistibly vital today. Recorded by a “who’s who” of celebrated performers, “Liza Jane” has straddled every genre of American popular music.
"The American Songster" Dom Flemons
Grammy winner Dom Flemons will serve as the film’s host and narrator. Known as the “American Songster,” Dom will compose original music to breathe new life into historical “Liza Jane” lyrics and guide viewers through the song’s travels across numerous historical eras and genres, including jazz, rock, blues, country, R&B, and more.
During the two-day film shoot, we will film Dom as he performs “Liza Jane” in iconic NOLA locations. He will be joined in these performances by Louisiana musicians: singer-songwriter Joy Clark, Washboard Chaz Leary, the “coolest cat in New Orleans” banjoist Don Vappie, and the Mardi Gras Indian tribe Cha Wa. We will also visit with experts in musicology and African American history at Tulane University, noteworthy music clubs, and even a riverboat where an onboard calliope will toot out the notes to “Liza Jane.”
Our amazing team of New Orleans musicians will join Dom for original performances.
Dom’s original compositions will take inspiration from an 1876 newspaper that printed “Liza Jane” lyrics recited by African American roustabouts in New Orleans as well as lyrics that date back to pre-Civil War years, as reported by a woman who had been enslaved in the New Orleans area.
We will weave in archival materials and interviews with these original NOLA performances to tell the full story of “Liza Jane.”
A riverboat worker or “roustabout” on the New Orleans levee circa 1880.
By linking historic lyrics to new compositions, our film will be reminiscent of the iconic 1998 album Mermaid Avenue (and the companion documentary Man in the Sand), which took previously unpublished lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie and joined them to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco.
Steeped in folk history, this project is a perfect fit for Dom Flemons. He has devoted his career to linking the roots of American music with current performance across a wide range of instruments and musical idioms.
Recordings of "Liza Jane" straddle every genre of American popular music, among a “who’s who” of celebrated performers.
COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Any amount is so greatly appreciated and helpful. For those able to give more, please consider one of the incentive levels or wish list items above.
Follow us
Follow our campaign and stay up-to-date on the latest news!
Seed&Spark rewards us for building our audience. The more followers this campaign gets, the more we can unlock products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed&Spark.
Spread the word
We so appreciate you checking out our Seed&Spark campaign! If you connect with this story and want to help bring this film to the big screen please share this project with your network.
And if you know of someone we should connect with whom this story might particularly resonate, or who could help us bring it to life, please let us know!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Grub for our cast and crew
Costs $1,500
Gumbo. Crawfish Etouffee. Jambalaya. Red Beans and Rice. Muffaletta. Beignets. Po-Boys. Bananas Foster! Growling stomachs will thank you!
Lodging
Costs $3,000
Help our out-of-town musicians and crew get some well-deserved shut-eye – or at least 40 winks.
Honoraria for Musicians
Costs $3,000
Help us pass the hat to compensate our virtuosic musicians for some amazing work telling the epic musical story of Liza Jane.
Travel
Costs $2,500
Planes, trains ... Maybe a Streetcar Named Desire. Help the out-of-town musicians and crew get to The Big Easy.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Core Creative Team
We’ve assembled a dynamic group of passionate storytellers to craft the most important music documentary of our time.
Producer / Host / Narrator / Primary Musician Dom Flemons is a Grammy winner, Emmy nominee, and United States Artists Fellow. Known as The American Songster he is an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife and rhythm bones. He is the co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the creator, host, and producer of the American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville. His most recent album is Traveling Wildfire on Smithsonian Folkways (2023).
Producer Vania Kinard is a passionate storyteller and cultural preservationist who has spent years documenting her family legacy, which includes black cowboys, western pioneers, farmers, preachers, teachers, and veterans. Vania is also deeply committed to education and community engagement, curating the Dom Flemons collection at Vanderbilt University, serving on the board of Folk Alliance Region Midwest, and advising the Children’s Literacy Initiative. A proud alum of programs like the Obama Foundation and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, she lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband, Dom Flemons, and their daughter, Cheyanne.
Producer / Director / Writer Emily Cohen is the executive director of Jackson Hole, Wyoming’s award-winning public radio station, KHOL. She briefly studied fiddle at East Tennessee State University, where she performed “Liza Jane” as part of her audition. Her reporting has aired on public radio stations across the West and been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists and RTDNA’s Edward R. Murrow Awards. She was a 2023 winner of the If/Then x Redford Center pitch competition.
Producer / Director / Writer Dan Gutstein is the author of eight books and chapbooks, including Poor Gal: The Cultural History of Little Liza Jane, University Press of Mississippi (November 2023) which won a Special Recognition Award from the ASCAP Foundation in 2024. His stories and poems have appeared widely in publications such as Best American Poetry, The Penguin Book of the Sonnet, Ploughshares, Iowa Review, and American Scholar. Dan’s work with lyrics and vocals appeared most recently on the 2025 performance album Live At The Black Cat! released by experimental band Fanoplane.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Help match a grant from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation that will enable a two-day film shoot in the Big Easy. Our project will tell the journey of one of the most enduring songs in the American canon and revive its relevance for today.
With origins among enslaved people, “Liza Jane” later popped up among Civil War regiments, defied the Jim Crow era, became a national sensation during World War I, and took center stage during the Civil Rights movement. It is irresistibly vital today. Recorded by a “who’s who” of celebrated performers, “Liza Jane” has straddled every genre of American popular music.
"The American Songster" Dom Flemons
Grammy winner Dom Flemons will serve as the film’s host and narrator. Known as the “American Songster,” Dom will compose original music to breathe new life into historical “Liza Jane” lyrics and guide viewers through the song’s travels across numerous historical eras and genres, including jazz, rock, blues, country, R&B, and more.
During the two-day film shoot, we will film Dom as he performs “Liza Jane” in iconic NOLA locations. He will be joined in these performances by Louisiana musicians: singer-songwriter Joy Clark, Washboard Chaz Leary, the “coolest cat in New Orleans” banjoist Don Vappie, and the Mardi Gras Indian tribe Cha Wa. We will also visit with experts in musicology and African American history at Tulane University, noteworthy music clubs, and even a riverboat where an onboard calliope will toot out the notes to “Liza Jane.”
Our amazing team of New Orleans musicians will join Dom for original performances.
Dom’s original compositions will take inspiration from an 1876 newspaper that printed “Liza Jane” lyrics recited by African American roustabouts in New Orleans as well as lyrics that date back to pre-Civil War years, as reported by a woman who had been enslaved in the New Orleans area.
We will weave in archival materials and interviews with these original NOLA performances to tell the full story of “Liza Jane.”
A riverboat worker or “roustabout” on the New Orleans levee circa 1880.
By linking historic lyrics to new compositions, our film will be reminiscent of the iconic 1998 album Mermaid Avenue (and the companion documentary Man in the Sand), which took previously unpublished lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie and joined them to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco.
Steeped in folk history, this project is a perfect fit for Dom Flemons. He has devoted his career to linking the roots of American music with current performance across a wide range of instruments and musical idioms.
Recordings of "Liza Jane" straddle every genre of American popular music, among a “who’s who” of celebrated performers.
COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Any amount is so greatly appreciated and helpful. For those able to give more, please consider one of the incentive levels or wish list items above.
Follow us
Follow our campaign and stay up-to-date on the latest news!
Seed&Spark rewards us for building our audience. The more followers this campaign gets, the more we can unlock products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed&Spark.
Spread the word
We so appreciate you checking out our Seed&Spark campaign! If you connect with this story and want to help bring this film to the big screen please share this project with your network.
And if you know of someone we should connect with whom this story might particularly resonate, or who could help us bring it to life, please let us know!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Grub for our cast and crew
Costs $1,500
Gumbo. Crawfish Etouffee. Jambalaya. Red Beans and Rice. Muffaletta. Beignets. Po-Boys. Bananas Foster! Growling stomachs will thank you!
Lodging
Costs $3,000
Help our out-of-town musicians and crew get some well-deserved shut-eye – or at least 40 winks.
Honoraria for Musicians
Costs $3,000
Help us pass the hat to compensate our virtuosic musicians for some amazing work telling the epic musical story of Liza Jane.
Travel
Costs $2,500
Planes, trains ... Maybe a Streetcar Named Desire. Help the out-of-town musicians and crew get to The Big Easy.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Core Creative Team
We’ve assembled a dynamic group of passionate storytellers to craft the most important music documentary of our time.
Producer / Host / Narrator / Primary Musician Dom Flemons is a Grammy winner, Emmy nominee, and United States Artists Fellow. Known as The American Songster he is an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife and rhythm bones. He is the co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the creator, host, and producer of the American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville. His most recent album is Traveling Wildfire on Smithsonian Folkways (2023).
Producer Vania Kinard is a passionate storyteller and cultural preservationist who has spent years documenting her family legacy, which includes black cowboys, western pioneers, farmers, preachers, teachers, and veterans. Vania is also deeply committed to education and community engagement, curating the Dom Flemons collection at Vanderbilt University, serving on the board of Folk Alliance Region Midwest, and advising the Children’s Literacy Initiative. A proud alum of programs like the Obama Foundation and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, she lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband, Dom Flemons, and their daughter, Cheyanne.
Producer / Director / Writer Emily Cohen is the executive director of Jackson Hole, Wyoming’s award-winning public radio station, KHOL. She briefly studied fiddle at East Tennessee State University, where she performed “Liza Jane” as part of her audition. Her reporting has aired on public radio stations across the West and been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists and RTDNA’s Edward R. Murrow Awards. She was a 2023 winner of the If/Then x Redford Center pitch competition.
Producer / Director / Writer Dan Gutstein is the author of eight books and chapbooks, including Poor Gal: The Cultural History of Little Liza Jane, University Press of Mississippi (November 2023) which won a Special Recognition Award from the ASCAP Foundation in 2024. His stories and poems have appeared widely in publications such as Best American Poetry, The Penguin Book of the Sonnet, Ploughshares, Iowa Review, and American Scholar. Dan’s work with lyrics and vocals appeared most recently on the 2025 performance album Live At The Black Cat! released by experimental band Fanoplane.