CALIFORNIA HERE I COME - Free Jazz Leadsheet

“california here i come,” sometimes referred to in early sheet music as a “California fox-trot,” was written in 1924 by Buddy DeSylva and Al Jolson with music by Joseph Meyer. Jolson’s own 1924 recording, made in New York, played a major role in making the tune synonymous with westward optimism in American popular music.

The song was revived repeatedly throughout the 20th century by bandleaders and vocalists. Its lyrics celebrate the promise of California as a land of sunshine and opportunity, and its upbeat, verse-and-chorus construction lends itself to lively arrangements, from dance-band treatments to modern swing interpretations.