The query refers to a central motif in Jamie Ford's historical novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet . While the song by Oscar Holden
As the city changed—gentrification painting old brick with glass and signs—Oscar adapted without surrender. He recorded a second album years later, this one with field recordings: the clip of a bus door, the murmur of a fishmonger, distant church bells. The album was called Strut & Murmur and was lauded for capturing urban life as a living, breathing arrangement. Younger critics framed Oscar as a guardian of a vanishing sound; older listeners simply felt more at home. 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. The query refers to a central motif in
: Griggs researched Holden’s family and historical playing style to imagine how the song would have sounded. The album was called Strut & Murmur and
: The story follows Henry Lee, a Chinese-American boy, and Keiko Okabe, a Japanese-American girl. They bond over their shared love for jazz in a 1940s Seattle fraught with racial tension.
Oscar Holden was a classically trained powerhouse known for a stride style similar to Fats Waller. While no original recordings of his music are known to exist today, his legacy lived on through his children, who became staples of the Seattle R&B and rock 'n' roll scenes. Why It Still Struts The "Alley Cat Strut" captures the spirit of Jackson Street