This track from the mentioned recording?

Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin

and Led Zeppelin, III

Here is great review of the Fred Simon album from Chicago reader's Neil Tesser.

Fred Simon 

<cite class="byline">By Neil Tesser</cite>

FRED SIMON

With so many jazz musicians focusing on speed and virtuosity these days, Chicago pianist Fred Simon looks like quite a reactionary. He assiduously avoids technical flash, favoring moderate tempos and uncomplicated rhythms, uncluttered textures and open harmonies. In his compositions, he displays a fondness for arioso melodies that sound a lot like Wayne Shorter's--and even more like those of another of his idols, singer-songwriter James Taylor. Simon has always emphasized pure sound in his music: he caresses notes instead of attacking them, striving for a lustrous tone. Luckily he's hooked up with the British audiophile label Naim, which seems to share his priorities, for the new Dreamhouse--by far the best of the six discs under his own name. In 1991, when Simon released Open Book, his previous album of original material, he was in a deep rut; he'd withdrawn from outside influence, and his music sounded static and self-referential. But since then he's reexamined chapters of jazz history that he'd placed on the back shelf--songbook standards, compositions of the 50s and 60s--and with this study he's drawn fresh air into his own tunes, which still dominate his repertoire. He hasn't started playing like a hard bopper, but now he sounds like he knows why that idiom has become a Rosetta stone for today's jazz. Simon's impressionistic music--like that of other pianists enamored of Keith Jarrett, including Pat Metheny's longtime collaborator Lyle Mays--constantly risks crossing the line between honest sentiment and formulaic histrionics. For me, the success of his work depends entirely on his ability to gracefully understate its emotional content--something he does to a T on Dreamhouse. He recorded the album with his wife, drummer Sarah Allen, and a close friend, bassist Kelly Sill; Sill's ripe timbre and perfectly placed chord roots give the music a roomy foundation, and Allen's shimmering cymbal colors and subtle, insistent rhythms furnish each song with essential details. 

This is one of my 2014 best sounding albums on vinyl and the CD that came with it.

Its a 2013 release.

Natalie was one of the Dixie Chicks.

Its outstanding for its song content and SQ.

The vinyl inc CD  can still be grabbed for the bargain price of £6.23 on the river at the mo.

You will have to be quick though.

Just bought Opeth from HDT 96/24 WAV and Tedeschi Trucks Band also from HDT 88/24 WAV and like both, bought on this post I caught and had never heard either before so nice 'new' finds for me, thanks.

New to Opeth but not Steven Wilson so not sure how I missed them over that time?

Somehow I missed out on this very beautiful album when it was first released.

And now I can't get enough.

Charlie Haden, a true musician.

One of my all-time favourite records...

By far the Music Matters reissue vinyl. I've got a bunch but these are my 3 picks. They gave me a renewed affirmation of how good vinyl replay can sound. These are the kind of records that make all the fuss in setting up pays off big time.

Honourable mention goes to this RCA XRCD24 Toscanini Original Edition remaster.

They got a hold of the original master tape, made a digital transfer at Sony facility in NY ( vault master would never let the original leave the country ) and claim this is the closest sound to the original master tape without subsequent EQ for LP releases. Well, wheatever they did, this CD sounds way better than my mint condition original vinyl with very limited frequency range.The result is stunning dynamics and details from a recording of this vintage. It would have been even better if they could have put it on a vinyl then pressed at RTI with care but for now this JVC XRCD24 does better justice to Toscanini's art.

They make the new LP's from the original tapes?

I am impressed that tape preserves the data so well.

How long can a tape keep an optimum sound? 

It depends on how they are kept.

But even then my understanding is that magnetic tape will not last forever. For this they are often digitized and cleaned up to be used for archiving and future reissues.

According to RCA XRCD liner notes, they were surprised that the original tapes were in pretty good shape so they did not have to restore much after the digital transfer. 

For Music Matters Blue Notes, I assume that one of the criteria for picking the titles are the ones with the best condition master tapes.

Thanks.

But how many years does a well kept tape keep the data in optimum form.

I should think an LP would do a better job, but then it is no longer the original session tapes. 

All magnetic tape degrades over time, whether played or not.

If vinyl is not played, and is kept in ideal conditions then it would be reasonable to expect it to last more or less indefinitely. But the LP is not the master by any means. The most durable recordings so far made are wax-cut recordings which are converted in metal master parts used to make metal stampers for recordings. These have lasted more than a century. These is some small degradation from oxidation pitting, which can normally be corrected. So nothing lasts forever.

ATB from George

Would be nice if they made their masters available as HI-Res downloads as well.

I found these on youtube. They play almost the whole album!

I found this one of Fred Simon playing on youtube.

What I find especially remarkable is the sound he is able to get from an electronic piano, he still sounds like Fred Simon!

Peet, thanks so much for choosing Dreamhouse as one of your top three, and for reposting that lovely review ... I'm grateful for your support.

If you haven't already had the chance, I think you would equally enjoy my other two Naim albums: Remember The River, and Since Forever.

All the best,

Fred

Thanks again for the kind words, Peet.

When it comes to any instrument, it mostly depends on how you touch it! And no matter what I do, I can't escape sounding like myself, even if I wanted to.

All the best,

Fred

I will do that, thanks.

And please keep on playing and composing.

All the best.

Hey Fred,

Come and play Vancouver. This little theatre just down the road from our place would be perfect! We've seen Brad Mehldau, African Guitar Summit and Ron Sexsmith there. It's a great intimate venue but the program recently has been dominated by second-rate theatre, rather than music. We need you to get them back on track!

http://kaymeekcentre.com/

Yes, it seems like the places were one can hear good quality jazz are disappearing at an alarming rate.

My choice at this moment in time for 2014 would be;

1. Batik,The Old Man and The Sea, (soundliaison) best sound, this is what audiophile recording is all about.

2. Neil Cowley trio, Touch and Flea (Naim), a fresh approach to the piano 3, very enjoyable.

3. Fred Simon, Dreamhouse,(Naim) music first and good music it is.

Yes, I thought about getting in touch with them. I might just do that.

This Bugge Wesseltoft has some very interesting sound scapes;