Im genuinely surprised weve never had Bob James‘ One in the lab before.Nautilus” is sampled in more songs than I can countChildrens Story by Slick Rick, Follow the Leader by Eric B. and Rakim, Beats to the Rhyme by Run-DMC (one of my all-time favorite beats), and Clap Your Hands by A Tribe Called Quest, just to name a few. The entire record is often hailed as an important predecessor to the smooth jazz genre, which is a bit ironic considering the intense orchestral arrangements on Valley of the Shadows, Soulero, and Night on Bald Mountain. In The Garden also intertwines laid-back country elements with Pachabels Canon in D. Engineered by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder in his Englewood Cliffs studio, the record features Idris Muhammad on drums and Grover Washington Jr. on soprano sax alongside a whos who of session musicians like Steve Gadd and Eric Weissberg.
- black vinyl pressing (please note: actual pressing color and packaging may differ from mock-up photo)
- gatefold sleeve
- original release year: 1974
- music label: Ace Records 2026
