Dave Brubeck could never be accused of not taking risks – just check out his discography to confirm this. Many paid dividends while a few didn't always deliver as hoped for. Between 1951 and 1967, the quartet kept the check-outs busy with a succession of well thought out albums, the zenith being Time Out (1959). For the most part, the actual quartet worked as a self-contained unit, seldom inviting outsiders to join them. Sure, there were exceptions. In 1960, there was a charmed collaboration with blues shouter Jimmy Rushing (a personal favourite of mine). A year later, it was the truly gifted Carmen McRae who stepped up to the vocal microphone to interpret three songs composed by Dave and Iola Brubeck (‘Weep No More’, ‘Briar Bush’ and ‘Strange Meadowlark’) plus a bop-inspired reworking of ‘Paradiddle Joe’ which matched McRae with Morello. For the remainder of the original album, McRae retired to the sidelines as the quartet performed four instrumentals leaving Dave to contribute an additional solo piano piece ‘Melanctha.’

It's no big secret that Brubeck's ambition was to compose extended orchestral and choral works, some of a religious nature. Tonight Only! is a slightly oddball project with the original four vocal tracks interspersed with the same number of instrumentals giving the impression that perhaps they were first conceived for a much bigger concept. Maybe a musical – maybe not? What is known is that ‘Briar Bush’ is a vocal version of ‘Southern Scene’ from the quartet's concept LP of the same name recorded a year earlier. This wasn't a one-off collaboration. Brubeck and McRae recorded a second album Take Five Live in September 1961 at Basin Street East (it remained unreleased until four years later). During the same month, initial sessions for the Brubecks' overtly political concept album The Real Ambassadors were convened. Apart from the participation of Louis Armstrong and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, it included two more D&I Brubeck songs (‘In The Lurch’ and ‘My One Bad Habit’) sung by McRae with the quartet minus Desmond. These songs weren't included on the original release but added to this compilation which may not appeal to the casual browser, but will definitely find favour with completists.