BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — When Buffalo-born jazz musician Charles Rahmat Woods heard about the mass shooting at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue, he had one thought.
"As a performing artist I said what can I do? What can I do now?" he explained.
Woods lives in Washington, D.C. but grew up blocks away from the Tops, and still feels a strong connection to the neighborhood.
The Hutch Tech grad then went to work connecting with other Buffalo-born musicians in the D.C. area. He wrote a song called "Blues for Martyrs" - a jazz song which lists the names of the Tops shooting victims.
He says he hopes hearing the music will help the Buffalo community heal.
"We're saying the names of the victims. We want people to remember these victims," he said. "Remember our community members. But to bring it in a positive light. To say we can remember people, they've moved on to another realm, but we're gonna remember them in a positive light."
The other musicians who worked on the song with Woods are went to Hutch Tech, Burgard and Bennett High Schools.
Blues for Martyrs is available on iTunes, Spotify, or Woods' website www.rahmatshabazz.com.
