Tonight Only! | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1961 | |||
Recorded | 9 September, 14–15 December 1960, New York | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 43:29 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Teo Macero | |||
Dave Brubeck chronology | ||||
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Carmen McRae chronology | ||||
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Tonight Only! is a 1961 album by the Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring the singer Carmen McRae. [1]
This was the first of three albums that Brubeck and McRae would make together, they would later work on Take Five Live (1961) and The Real Ambassadors (1962). Brubeck praised McRae's lyrical interpretations of his songs, later stating that "Carmen has added even to my own understanding of the music". [2]
Brubeck's wife, Iola, contributed lyrics to three songs: "Weep No More", "Briar Bush" and "Strange Meadow Lark". [2]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Billboard magazine review from 5 June 1961 chose Tonight Only! as one of its 'Spotlight Winners of the Week' and commented, "Brubeck teams up with canary Carmen McRae on this package and the results are eminently tasteful and listenable". [3]
The album was reviewed by Scott Yanow at Allmusic who wrote, "One of the more obscure Dave Brubeck albums is really a showcase for the young singer Carmen McRae who performs nine numbers ...McRae is in fine voice but strangely enough all of the songs (except for "Strange Meadowlark") have been long forgotten. Stronger material would have resulted in a more memorable session". [1]
Tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, with McRae, were recorded on September 9, 1960; tracks 1 and 8 were recorded December 14, and on the following day, December 15, tracks 3, 6 and 9. Track 8, [4] "Tristesse", is a piano solo by Brubeck. [5]
David Warren Brubeck was an American jazz pianist and composer, and one of the foremost exponents of cool jazz. Some of his compositions have become jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranged from refined to bombastic, reflecting both his mother's classical training and his own improvisational skills. His music employed unusual time signatures as well as superimposing contrasting rhythms, meters, and tonalities.
Paul Desmond was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, "Take Five". He was one of the most popular musicians to come out of the cool jazz scene.
Joseph Albert Morello was an American jazz drummer best known for serving as the drummer for pianist Dave Brubeck, as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from 1957 to 1972, including during the quartet's "classic lineup" from 1958 to 1968, which also included alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and bassist Eugene Wright. Morello's facility for playing unusual time signatures and rhythms enabled that group to record a series of albums that explored unusual time signatures. The most notable of these was the first in the series, the 1959 album Time Out, which contained the hit songs "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk". In fact, "Take Five", the album's biggest hit was specifically written by Desmond as a way to showcase Morello's ability to play in 5
4 time.
At Carnegie Hall is a jazz live album by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. It was recorded at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City on Friday, February 22, 1963. Critic Thom Jurek described it as "one of the great live jazz albums of the 1960s". Critic Jim Santella wrote, "This is timeless music from a classic ensemble. Goosebumps are guaranteed."
"Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by saxophonist Paul Desmond and originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet for their album Time Out at Columbia Records' 30th Street Studios in New York City on July 1, 1959. Two years later it became a surprise hit and the biggest-selling jazz single ever. Revived since in numerous movie and television soundtracks, the piece still receives significant radio airplay. The single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996.
Time Out is a studio album by the American jazz group the Dave Brubeck Quartet, released in 1959 on Columbia Records. Recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City, it is based upon the use of time signatures that were unusual for jazz such as 9
8, 6
4 and 5
4. The album is a subtle blend of cool and West Coast jazz.
Eugene Joseph Wright was an American jazz bassist who was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
Carmen Mercedes McRae was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretation of lyrics.
Take Five Live is a 1962 live album by American jazz singer Carmen McRae with pianist Dave Brubeck, focusing on interpretations of his songs. This was McRae's second album with Brubeck; their first, Tonight Only with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, was released in 1961.
The Real Ambassadors is a jazz musical developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Dave and Iola Brubeck, in collaboration with Louis Armstrong and his band. It addressed the Civil Rights Movement, the music business, America's place in the world during the Cold War, the nature of God, and a number of other themes. It was set in a fictional African nation called Talgalla, and its central character was based on Armstrong and his time as a jazz ambassador. It was the first major large scale musical collaboration between Dave and Iola Brubeck and served as a template for their future musical collaborations. Songs from the musical were recorded by Columbia Records and a soundtrack album was released in 1962, just before the show's premiere at the 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival with an all star cast.
Jazz Goes to College is a 1954 album documenting the North American college tour of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. It was Dave Brubeck's first album for Columbia Records. He was joined by alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, double bassist Bob Bates, and drummer Joe Dodge. The album was re-released on CD and cassette in the Columbia Jazz Masterpieces series in 1989 and on CD by Sony International in 2000.
Time Further Out is a jazz studio album by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Recorded and released in 1961 on the Columbia label, the album features the lineup of the "Classic Quartet": pianist and leader Dave Brubeck, alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright, and drummer Joe Morello. The album was recorded by engineer Fred Plaut and produced by Teo Macero.
Bernstein Plays Brubeck Plays Bernstein is a 1961 studio album by The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Its title refers to the fact that it consists of both a Brubeck composition conducted by Leonard Bernstein and Bernstein compositions played by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. The title is also an echo of Dave Brubeck's 1956 solo debut album, Brubeck Plays Brubeck.
Time In is a 1966 studio album by Dave Brubeck, the last of Brubeck's 'Time' series.
"In Your Own Sweet Way" is a 1955 jazz standard, and one of the most famous compositions by Dave Brubeck. It was written around 1952, but its copyright notice was dated 1955. Brubeck's wife Iola, for whom the song was written, later wrote a lyric for the song, which led to singers such as Carmen McRae recording it. Although an earlier live recording is known, "In Your Own Sweet Way" was first released on Brubeck's 1956 studio album Brubeck Plays Brubeck.
Brandenburg Gate: Revisited is a studio album by The Dave Brubeck Quartet accompanied by an orchestra arranged by Howard Brubeck.
Brubeck in Amsterdam is a 1962 live album by Dave Brubeck and his quartet recorded on 3 December at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, though unreleased until 1969. Six of the tracks are from Brubeck's musical The Real Ambassadors.
Take Ten is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond featuring performances recorded in 1963 which were released on the RCA Victor label with cover art by Andy Warhol.
The Last Time We Saw Paris is a 1968 live album by Dave Brubeck and his quartet, recorded in Paris during their final tour.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet in Europe is a live album by pianist Dave Brubeck and his quartet recorded in 1958 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The cartoon on the cover of the album of Brubeck and his quartet was drawn by Arnold Roth.