In 2014, composer created a musical piece titled "Alley Cat Strut" for the Panama Hotel Jazz Project to give a voice to the fictional song from the book.
True to Holden’s real-life reputation as a "powerhouse player" with a stride piano style similar to Fats Waller, the piece is typically performed with a swinging, rhythmic drive.
When you search for you are not just looking for sheet music or an MP3. You are looking for: alley cat strut oscar holden
If you prefer hard-swinging big band jazz or deep emotional blues, this might sound like lightweight novelty music. It’s intentionally kitschy.
The book elevated the Panama Hotel and Holden's contributions to a prominent place in public memory. In 2014, composer created a musical piece titled
Oscar Holden was a real West Coast jazz pianist (and father of musician Ron Holden). “Alley Cat Strut” is sometimes confused with the later 1960s instrumental “Alley Cat” (Bent Fabric)—but Holden’s piece is older, rawer, and more distinctly blues-rooted. It’s a hidden gem of Pacific Northwest jazz history.
The phrase "Alley Cat Strut" represents a poignant collision of historical fiction and Pacific Northwest reality. It honors the transient, underground safe havens where communities of color—Black, Japanese, and Chinese Americans—built a shared culture in mid-century Seattle despite systemic discrimination. Community Stories: Jackson Street: A Tale of Two Dads You are looking for: If you prefer hard-swinging
Sometime in the mid-1930s, Oscar Holden penned The Alley Cat Strut . Unlike the later European "Alley Cat" song (which sounds like a cat tip-toeing on ice), Holden’s version is pure, unadulterated barrelhouse blues.
"Alley Cat Strut" is a fictional jazz record by the real-life musician Oscar Holden