Ronald Douglas & Rob van Bavel - From The Heart

Ronald Douglas - vocal
Rob van Bavel - piano


Total time: 42:36

The original recording (352kHz-24bit) is analog mixed and mastered through an HQ analog stereo chain to PCM768kHz-32bit. 
All other formats are converted versions of the 768kHz-32bit master.

From The Heart
Ronald Douglas & Rob van Bavel in Studio 2

There are moments when music, space, and time align in such a way that something rare occurs. The legendary Studio 2 in the Heuvellaan Hilversum (MCO) is one such place. With its warm, resonant acoustics, natural reverb, and historical character, Studio 2 offers an almost sacred setting, ideal for intimate jazz recordings. It’s no wonder that it became the perfect stage for Ronald Douglas and Rob van Bavel to record their new album, 'From the Heart', for Sound Liaison.

And this is where experience counts. Ronald quickly discovered that singing softly, at times almost like a whisper, allowed his voice to fully integrate with the room. The hall wasn’t just a backdrop; it became part of the instrument. He didn’t sing into the space, he sang with it. Studio 2 doesn’t flatter, but it does reward honesty. Every breath, every nuance is heard. Ronald leaned into restraint and vulnerability, and in return, the room gave back warmth, clarity, and intimacy. What emerged is a jazz vocal performance that feels deeply personal, like a private conversation.

And perhaps that’s what From the Heart truly is: a personal conversation. These songs, drawn from the Great American Songbook, carry more than melodic beauty. They are transformed by life experience. You hear it in every phrase. These aren't just standards; they are vessels for reflection, heartbreak, and resilience. There’s a lived-in quality here that can’t be taught or rehearsed. It has to be earned, through decades of performing, and in Ronald’s case, even through heart surgery.

Rob van Bavel, one of Europe's most acclaimed jazz pianists, brings masterful accompaniment that is both sensitive and deeply intuitive. He doesn’t play behind Ronald, he plays with him: responding, supporting, sometimes guiding the emotional shape of a song with a subtle harmonic shift or a delicate rhythmic turn. Rob’s playing never distracts. It enhances. There’s an empathy in his touch, a musical sensitivity that gently carries the vocal line like an undercurrent.

Listening back to these hi-res one-microphone recordings, I’m struck by how naturally everything comes together. The voice, the piano, the room, they breathe as one. This isn’t just a studio session; it’s a captured moment. One that could only come into being because of all that came before: the life lived, the craft refined, the partnership forged.

As a producer at Sound Liaison, it’s a privilege to witness this kind of musical alchemy. To hear Ronald explore the delicate space between control and surrender. To hear Rob elevate every phrase with grace. And to hear Studio 2 respond, as if it too had been waiting for this music, this mood, this perfect confluence.

Peter Bjørnild

“To begin, what a joyful blending of voice and piano in these stories of love, life, and the consequent blossoming of wisdom. Only a person who has lived a full life can tell these stories in such a profound manner. Ronald Douglas is such a person. He is a vocalist with a professional career spanning nearly fifty years. He has lived the sentiments found in each of the songs on this wonderful album.

Pianist Rob van Bavel’s accompaniment is like being physically supported by someone wearing chinchilla gloves...luscious. As a vocalist, I can say from personal experience that having the luxury of that kind of accompaniment is the next best thing to being in heaven.

With this outing, Ronald and Rob have merged two separate entities into one amazing unit. As the vocalist, Ronald can devote his energy to painting pictures with the words of the stories in tandem with the music. As a unit, they have harnessed the powerful energy that is accessed only by being in the moment. It’s in the moment where spontaneity resides. And as we all know, Jazz music is the magnificent consequence of spontaneity. I highly recommend that you listen to these beautiful arrangements and vocal interpretations created by two masters. Enjoy!”

Dr. Dee Daniels - Vocalist, recording artist, composer, educator, inspirational speaker.
Recorded in Studio 2 (Heuvellaan Hilversum) with a live audience on January 14, 2024.
Recording, mixing and mastering by Frans de Rond
Produced by Peter Bjørnild & Ronald Douglas.
Digital mastering by Tom Caulfield.

Photography by Nienke de Groot

Piano tuning: Naomi van Schoot

Used equipment:
Microphones:
Vocals: Josephson C700S
Piano: Josephson C700S

Speakers: TAD Compact Evolution / Linkwitz LX521
Poweramp: Moon 760A
DA converter: Merging Horus
AD converter: RME ADI-2/4 Pro SE
Mastering headphones: Hifiman HE1000se / Sennheiser HD800S
All power cables and power conditioners by AudioQuest
Network Switch by SOtM

Catalog Number: SL-1076A
CD is available at Zennez Records