Home » Jazz Musicians » Ron van Stratum

Ron van Stratum

Dutch drummer/percussionist Ron van Stratum has a reputation of being able to play in a wide range of musical styles: from Jazz to Pop, from Latin to Rock. Having studied both classical percussion and jazz/pop drums he can draw from a huge technical and above all musical vocabulary. Ron played and worked with the likes of Jim Beard, Jon Herington, Scott Kinsey, Mike Stern, John Beasley, Mike Mainieri, Randy Brecker, Eric Gale a.o. and leads his own Ron van Stratum band. Besides that he also is the drummer/percussionist for Belgian singer Nadine Nix and performes clinics and workshops for reknown drums-, cymbals- and percussion companies. He holds a chair as drumteacher at the Conservatorium Maastricht Jazz/Pop departement since 1992. Ron has 4 albums out as a leader under his own name.

His latest release to date is from September 2025: Penchant For Diversity. 

Ron van Stratum brings a very precise idea of "his" kind of music: jazz fusion with strong world music influences. He draws inspiration from greats like Joe Zawinul to whom the song "Syndicative" is dedicated, and who has in Ron’s opinion created his very own style of music; also the music from Scott Kinsey, who plays on Zawinul's tune "Face The Fire". The  music on "Penchant For Diversity" was created from pure improvisation in the recording studio. 

Gear

Yamaha Absolute Custom Hybrid Maple drums, Meinl cymbals and percussion, Evans drumheads, Meinl drumsticks, Cympads, tons of percussion instruments from all over the world. Electronic drums ( Yamaha, Nord, Sensory Percussion)


Tags

355
Album Review

Ron van Stratum: Swingin' In The Swamp

Read "Swingin' In The Swamp" reviewed by Gina Vodegel


It's a generally accepted misconception that those who earn a living as a teacher in the arts must either not be good enough a performer, or are compelled to satisfy a wretched sense of envy, while clipping the wings of very talented students. Some of the stories out there may be true, but drummer/percussionist Ron van Stratum's Swingin' In The Swamp defies all such horror tales. Van Stratum has been a drum teacher since 1993 at The Netherlands' Maastricht Conservatory--recruited ...

177
Take Five With...

Take Five With Ron van Stratum

Read "Take Five With Ron van Stratum" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Ron van Stratum: Drummer/percussionist from The Netherlands. Has worked with Jim Beard, Scott Kinsey, Mike Stern, John Beasley, Mike Mainieri, Eric Gale and others. Currently teaching at Conservatory of Maastricht (NL). Has three CDs out as a leader, and is a clinician for Yamaha drums, and Meinl cymbals and percussion.Instrument(s):Drums, percussion.Teachers and/or influences? Joe Zawinul, Jim Beard, Scott Kinsey, Peter Erskine, Vinnie Colaiuta, Elvin Jones, Pat Metheny.Your sound ...

Read more articles
70
Recording

New CD Dutch Drummer Ron Van Stratum

New CD Dutch Drummer Ron Van Stratum

Source: Michael Ricci

"Swingin' In The Swamp"—the story of how this album came into being is as unusual as the name itself! And the best way to hear it is from Ron van Stratum himself: “About five years ago, I felt that it was time to write a new repertoire for my band, go into a great studio, record a CD and get the ball rolling. But as life so often goes, I was constantly busy with other (wonderful) projects for other (wonderful) ...

I got a copy of "Swingin' in the Swamp" the other day and I’m really enjoying it. I can confidently state that listening to this album will bring a smile to Zawinul fans. Ron cites Zawinul, Jim Beard and Scott Kinsey as influences, and that definitely comes through. Lots of funky basslines, tasty keyboard work, and world influences. Ron’s work on the drums and percussion underpins it all. It’s good to learn about a new musician making this kind of music. Keep it up, Ron! (www.zawinulonline.org) …great tunes came out using various line-ups in a fusionjazz style with strong worldmusic influences: it takes the direction of Joe Zawinul's music….

Read more

Salif Keita
vocals
Pat Metheny
guitar
Joe Zawinul
keyboards
Scott Kinsey
keyboards

Photos

Music

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.