Alley Cat Strut Oscar Holden (Official — 2025)

: Decades later, Henry finds a broken copy of the record in the basement of the Panama Hotel, which triggers his quest to reconnect with Keiko.

While Oscar Holden was an actual legendary figure in Seattle's jazz history—often called the "patriarch of Seattle jazz"—the specific song "Alley Cat Strut" was created for the book to represent the bond between the main characters, Henry and Keiko. Role in the Novel alley cat strut oscar holden

But Oscar never let the city’s applause move him out of the alleys. When the record hit a modest success, he used his earnings to fix the roof over Mags’ kitchen and to buy new shoes for kids in his old neighborhood so they wouldn’t have to walk home barefoot in winter. He taught free after-school music classes in the recreation center—rudimentary theory, breathing, patience. “Music is a skill for the ears,” he’d tell the kids. “And a pair of ears is better than a million dollars and no one to hear you.” : Decades later, Henry finds a broken copy

Jamie Ford included Holden in the book to ground the fictional romance in the authentic, vibrant atmosphere of the 1940s Seattle music scene. Can You Listen to It? When the record hit a modest success, he

: 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.