The Night Carmen McRae Sang Everything Except “Take Five”

On September 6, 1961, Carmen McRae stood in front of the Dave Brubeck Trio at Basin Street East in New York and sang a set of Brubeck tunes fitted with words by Iola Brubeck — Dave's wife, and the household lyricist. Ten of those performances became Columbia's Take Five: Recorded Live at Basin Street East. The title track was not one of them. “Take Five” — the first known vocal recording of Paul Desmond's tune, and the reason most people bought the record — was cut in a New York studio on December 15, with Desmond, who had not been at the club at all; “Easy as You Go” followed on the 19th. Discographies note both were issued with echo and applause dubbed on to match the room. The instrumental, meanwhile, was still on its way up: it reached No. 25 on the Hot 100 about a month after the Basin Street night.