Only two songs seem slightly out of place on Abandoned Garden: “Somehow Our Love Survives,” a remake of his original collaboration with Joe Sample (previously included on Sample’s Spellbound album); and “In the Yellow House,” a piece from his long-delayed musical Noa Noa (based on the life of Gauguin).  Both are pleasant tracks, but serve as a brief detour from the album’s overall theme.

Abandoned Garden’s tour de force, however, is the title track.  “Abandoned Garden,” which appropriately closes the album, serves as Franks’s eulogy for Jobim.  In this song, nature mourns Jobim, since he planted the seeds of frangipani, jacaranda, camellia, and jasmine (images commonly present in Jobim’s music).  The crux of this track — as well as the entire album — lies in the refrain:

Though the samba has ended, I know in the sound
Of your voice, your piano, your flute, you are found,
And the music within you continues to flow
Sadly, lost Antonio.

You were my inspiration, my hero, my friend;
On the highway of time will I meet you again?
If the heart ever heals, does the scar always show
For the lost Antonio?
For the lost Antonio?

Thus, with superior musicianship and carefully-crafted lyrics, Franks’ tribute to Jobim ends.  One can imagine Jobim appreciating this album, as it perfectly captures his language, chord changes, percussion — everything present in a Jobim creation. 

Interestingly, Abandoned Garden became Franks’ final album with Warner Brothers Records.  In 1999 he resurfaced on Windham Hill, releasing Barefoot on the Beach, an uneven collection of smooth jazz.  By 2006 he moved to Koch Records, where he released Rendezvous in Rio, a sequel of sorts to Abandoned Garden.  While Rendezvous in Rio marks a great improvement over Barefoot on the Beach, it still cannot match Abandoned Garden in quality and beauty. 

Michael Franks continues to produce quirky, catchy jazz albums.  However, in my opinion, Abandoned Garden will be his greatest legacy.  The album is available through iTunes and other online music stores; treat yourself to this underrated gem.