<div>My name is Gary Hammon, and my story begins on 28th Ave S in Seattle’s Central District. I grew up in a home filled with music, surrounded by the sounds of saxophones, trumpets, and drums pouring out of neighborhood gatherings. Larry Gossett’s father and Rocky Woods—mentors and musical gurus in the community—would bring over musicians who filled the air with everything from jazz to country western. That was where I first heard the saxophone. From that moment, I knew: I had to play.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I fell in love with the music and never looked back. I played for the Masons, YMCA dances, high school events, and cabarets. My bandmates and I eventually made it to the big stages—the 410 Supper Club, the Black and Tan—the beating heart of Seattle’s jazz scene. Music became my livelihood.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In 1969, I became part of the first cohort of Black jazz students admitted to the New England Conservatory of Music. That opened the door to an incredible career—touring and performing with some of the greatest musicians in the world: Stevie Wonder, Albert King, Albert Collins, Big John Patton, Johnny Hammond Smith, Barbara Donald, Jaki Byard, and many others. My journey took me across the country and around the world, but my roots remained firmly planted in the Central District.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Fifteen years ago, I returned home to care for my aging mother in the house where I grew up. I came back to a neighborhood that had changed dramatically. The vibrant African-American cultural presence that once defined the Central District had been pushed to the margins. I realized that if we didn’t act now, the stories, the sounds, and the history of Seattle’s jazz legacy could be lost forever.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>That’s why I’m raising funds to create something lasting—a space dedicated to teaching young people jazz and the history of the music in Seattle. My vision is to offer classes, host live demonstrations, and present lectures that don’t just teach notes and scales, but also the culture and history that shaped the music.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This is about more than music education. It’s about passing down a tradition, showing our youth that jazz is their heritage, and empowering them to carry it forward. I want them to understand that the Central District was once a place where music thrived in every corner, where world-class musicians played just down the block, and where art and community were inseparable.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My Goals:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<ul>
<li>Acquire my own space to host jazz classes, rehearsals, and history lectures 
</li>
<li>Provide instruments and materials for students who can’t afford them.
</li>
<li>Create a living archive of Seattle’s jazz history through community events and workshops. 
</li>
<li>Mentor the next generation of musicians so the tradition continues
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Your support will help me take the first steps—covering startup costs, securing a location, and equipping the space so we can welcome students as soon as possible. Together, we can ensure that Seattle’s jazz history is not just remembered, but lived, played, and passed on.
</div>

Tiana Cole

Marc Barrington

Janet Stanton

Lisa Kelly

Aili Niimura

Rennie Elliott

Michele Nucci

Jazz Harmony – Keeping Jazz in Seattle’s Central District

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Jazz Harmony – Keeping Jazz in Seattle’s Central District

Still $25,435 to go. Help us build momentum.