Furthermore, the environment that Holden helped build laid the direct groundwork for the next generation of Seattle icons. A young Ray Charles arrived in Seattle in the late 1940s specifically because of the city's reputation as a wide-open music town—a reputation built on the backs of musicians like Holden. Quincy Jones, another Seattle native, honed his early arranging and playing skills in the very same Jackson Street clubs where the echo of Holden’s stride piano still lingered. The Legacy of the Strut
is not the most famous song in the jazz canon. It doesn't have the swing of "Take the A Train" or the bravado of "Round Midnight." But it has something rarer: it has the truth of a specific time, place, and animal spirit.
Long before Seattle became the grunge capital of the world, it was a bustling port city with a vibrant jazz and ragtime scene. Oscar Holden was a giant in that world. An African American pianist and composer, Holden migrated up the West Coast, eventually landing in Seattle’s famous Jackson Street district—the heart of the city’s nightlife from the 1920s to the 1950s.
Born in 1886, Oscar William Holden was a singer, clarinet player, and premier jazz pianist who became a central pillar of the Seattle musical landscape.
You may not realize it, but you have likely heard the DNA of in other places. Dave Brubeck , who spent time in the Army during WWII near the West Coast, once cited Holden as a "forgotten influence" on his use of odd meters. When you hear the piano in "Take Five," you can faintly hear the ghost of the "Alley Cat Strut" in the left-hand ostinato. alley cat strut oscar holden
In the novel, "Alley Cat Strut" represents the friendship and eventual separation of the protagonists, Henry Lee and Keiko Okabe, during World War II.
Before diving into the novel’s fiction, it's essential to understand the real Oscar Holden. He was not an invention of Jamie Ford but a genuine pioneer of West Coast jazz.
In Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet , the fictional 78 rpm record, “Oscar Holden & the Midnight Blue, The Alley Cat Strut,” serves as the story’s emotional and symbolic core.
It highlights the significance of the Panama Hotel and the untold stories of the Japanese American community during World War II. Conclusion: The Strut Lives On Furthermore, the environment that Holden helped build laid
The intersection of jazz history and Pacific Northwest culture holds many hidden treasures. Among them is the story of Oscar Holden, a foundational figure in Seattle’s early music scene. When exploring the phrase "Alley Cat Strut" in relation to Oscar Holden, we uncover a rich tapestry of prohibition-era jazz, Jackson Street nightlife, and the enduring legacy of a musical patriarch. The Patriarch of Seattle Jazz
In the book, Oscar Holden performs and dedicates this song to the main characters, Henry and Keiko, after discovering them listening to his set from an alleyway. The song eventually becomes a centerpiece of the novel, existing as a rare, custom-pressed vinyl record that serves as a powerful symbol of their cross-cultural bond and enduring friendship across decades.
Holden was the patriarch of a musical dynasty. His sons, the legendary (Bob, Bill, and Ray), would go on to form one of the most popular jazz combos in the Pacific Northwest. But Oscar was the root. He was known for a percussive, "stride-adjacent" left hand and a right hand that loved chromatic runs—what critics at the time called "the sound of rain on a tin roof in the industrial district."
He began to build a melody around the feline’s movement. It was a swaggering, syncopated blues—the musical embodiment of a midnight wanderer who owned the city but didn't have a dime in his pocket. The patrons stopped their whispering. The clinking of glasses softened. For three minutes, the room breathed in time with a piano and a cat. The Legacy of the Strut is not the
So, the next time you are walking down a dark street at midnight, put on Keep your shoulders back. Pick up your feet. And walk with the confidence of a tomcat who owns every brick on the block. That is the Oscar Holden way.
This real place of hidden secrets and forgotten stories provides the perfect, haunting backdrop for Ford’s novel.
If you are a pianist looking to tackle the arrangement, consider these tips:
In the book, Oscar Holden finds Henry and Keiko hiding in the alley behind the Black Elks Club, seeking to listen to his music. Moved by their appreciation, he performs a song——dedicated to them. 2. A Symbol of Friendship