Avalon is a 1920 popular song written by Al Jolson, Buddy DeSylva and Vincent Rose that references Avalon, California. It was introduced by Jolson and interpolated into the Broadway shows Sinbad and Bombo. Jolson's 1920 recording reached number two on the charts in 1921, helping to establish the tune as a jazz standard that has been recorded by many artists, including Cab Calloway, Coleman Hawkins and the Benny Goodman Quartet at Carnegie Hall in 1938. The opening melody is said to borrow from Puccini's aria E lucevan le stelle from Tosca, a lift that led Puccini's publishers to sue in 1921 and win royalties and damages. Avalon has appeared in films such as The Jolson Story, Casablanca, It's a Wonderful Life and The Cat's Meow, and Jolson recorded it for Rose of Washington Square in 1939 though the version there was cut from the film. The song has lived on in gypsy jazz and other genres, with performances by Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane and Elmo Hope among many others, and it continues to appear on numerous albums and live recordings.
