Rasmus Kjær (Larsen) is a Copenhagen-based pianist, organist, composer and performer working between contemporary jazz, improvisation and experimental sound.
Releasing music under his own name and the moniker Turist, he is known for adventurous, meticulously crafted works that often unfold as immersive and concept-driven projects.
Educated at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus (2003–2008), where he studied piano with Butch Lacy among others, Kjær was classically trained from an early age before shifting his focus toward improvised music and jazz. During his studies he travelled to the United States and Brazil to study and immerse himself in different musical environments, while becoming an active presence in Aarhus’ local jazz scene.
“music that moves through different atmospheres and energies” Politiken
He made his debut as a bandleader with the trio album Broken Bow (2012), followed by the solo organ release Orgelimprovisationer (2016) and the keyboard-based Turist (2019). In April 2024 he released EROBOTICA, the first full-length album under the Turist moniker. In 2025 he released Underlake, an acoustic trio recording with saxophonist Nicolas Masson and drummer Noé Franklé.
From 2022–2023 Kjær lived near Geneva, Switzerland, where the trio was formed. In 2026 he premiered the commissioned work EROBOTICA 2050, supported by the Danish Arts Foundation, further expanding his work with large-scale compositional forms.
”…his music reaches the rarest of highs when he’s skirting along the fringes, introducing new hypotheses about what is and isn’t music” (Parttimeaudiophile, US)
Alongside his own releases, Kjær has collaborated with artists such as Klimaforandringer, SVIN, Henriette Sennenvaldt, BISSE and Under Byen. He has performed at festivals across Europe, including Roskilde Festival and Eurosonic Festival, and curated several concerts and events in Copenhagen — among them a Jerome Cooper memorial concert in 2017.
Underlake among the best jazz releases of 2025!
Goldmine Magazine (USA) “It is a minimalistic journey where you don’t have to work hard to follow along, yet you may have to work hard to pull yourself away from the constant repeated listens that the album is sure to invoke.”
Yes, Underlake received a lot of attention and was reviewed broadly in MOJO Magazine, All About Jazz, Jazz Journal and got airplay in Radio France – to name a few… Check the jazzfuel summary for more details.
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CONTACT ME
Email: kontakt[at]rasmuskjaer[dot]com