Alley Cat Strut Oscar Holden ^hot^ Jun 2026

Left hand: a steady, walking bass line. Right hand: a sharp, playful trill.

: The record is broken during the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps. Decades later, the broken pieces are discovered in the basement of the Panama Hotel , symbolizing the fractured lives and lost connections resulting from the war. Historical Inspiration: Oscar Holden

Locate recordings or performances by the Steve Griggs Ensemble. Share more about the history of the Panama Hotel. What aspect of this story interests you most? Share public link

You can find a "real" version of the song on the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet soundtrack, often performed by contemporary artists to bring the book’s atmosphere to life. alley cat strut oscar holden

To hear “Alley Cat Strut” is to smell cigarette smoke at 3 a.m. and watch a silhouette move through the steam of a manhole cover. It doesn’t ask you to dance. It asks you to watch your back —and enjoy the walk.

In the narrative of Ford's novel, the song serves as a powerful symbol of connection during World War II:

that serves as a central symbol in Jamie Ford's historical novel, . Left hand: a steady, walking bass line

: In the story, Holden performs the song at the Black Elks Club and dedicates it to the protagonists, Henry and Keiko, after finding them listening from an alleyway.

In the novel, the record label reads: . "The Midnight Blue" is the name of Holden’s fictional band. The nickname evokes the very essence of the jazz scene—it’s cool, evocative, and timeless. Importantly, "Midnight Blue" is also a real jazz album by the legendary saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, an interesting point of convergence for any jazz enthusiast.

The story follows Henry Lee, a Chinese American boy in 1942 Seattle who falls in love with Keiko Okabe, a Japanese American girl. As the U.S. government forces the incarceration of all Japanese Americans, their innocent romance is torn apart. A key, romantic moment in their brief relationship is when the real-life jazz legend Oscar Holden, who lives in their neighborhood, discovers the young couple listening to his music from an alley. He then performs a new song for them, which he dedicates "to the two lovebirds in the alley," calling it the . Decades later, the broken pieces are discovered in

Listen specifically for the 1932 "home recording" acetate. The fidelity is rough—you will hear plates rattling in the background and a waiter coughing—but that is the magic. You are not just hearing a song; you are being transported to a smoky Seattle alleyway in the middle of the Great Depression. You are hearing a man prove that even in hard times, you've got to strut.

Did have lyrics? Oral history suggests yes. Seattle jazz historian Paul de Barros, in his book "Jackson Street After Dark," recalls that Holden would sometimes sing nonsense verses over the piano during late-night sets at the Washington Social Club .