Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"Avalon" is a popular song published in 1920, credited to songwriter Vincent Rose (1880–1944), singer Al Jolson, and lyricist Buddy DeSylva. Jolson's recording became a number-two hit in 1921. The title refers to the resort town of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, California.

The song is a 32-bar form in the key of F major, with the distinctive feature of opening on the V chord (C7) rather than the tonic. The tune's opening melody bears a striking resemblance to the aria "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's opera Tosca—transposed to the major key. This similarity led to a 1921 lawsuit by Puccini's publishers, who were awarded $25,000 and all future royalties. Despite—or perhaps because of—its memorable melody, the song became a durable jazz standard, embraced across styles from swing to gypsy jazz, and remains a popular vehicle for up-tempo improvisation.

A landmark performance is the Benny Goodman Quartet's electrifying rendition at their historic 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. Earlier recordings by Coleman Hawkins (1935) and numerous gypsy jazz interpretations by Django Reinhardt and others have also kept this centenarian tune firmly in the repertoire.