You Live and You Learn is a collection of sixteen original jazz pieces by Danish pianist/composer/improvisor Rasmus Sørensen that introduces us to a somewhat different side of this artist compared to his earlier releases. Most of Sørensen’s previous albums have been built around his trio, but this time the music evolves into an expanded ensemble with a more detailed, production-led approach to recording. Still in his twenties, Sørensen has established himself as one of the most-distinctive young artists in contemporary jazz. He was given the Danish Music Award for Musician of the Year in 2024 and the Ben Webster Award in 2025.

For the past six years, Sørensen has collected voice memos, videos, scores and handwritten notes that contained ideas that no longer fit comfortably into a trio format. From this archive, he selected sixteen compositions and considered which instrumentation would be best to bring each piece to life. The album features some of Sørensen’s favorite Scandinavian musicians as well as some of his closest friends, including drummer Steinar Heide Bø, double bassist Jon Henriksson, electric bassist Matthias Petri, flutist Oilly Wallace, guitarist Pelle von Bülow, trumpeter Ari Bragi Kárason and chromatic harmonica player Mathias Heise. Working with producer Rasmus Juncker, Sørensen was able to spend more time in the studio developing the individual tracks, rather than recording all the instruments simultaneously, as is customary in a lot of jazz. The result reflects Sørensen’s interest in allowing each composition to determine its own instrumentation, sound and approach. He plays a combination of grand piano, upright piano, Fender Rhodes, midi keyboard, Prophet 5, Juno and Wurlitzer keyboards/synthesizers.

You Live and You Learn begins with the 36-second “Epigraph,” a bright and lively solo-piano prelude that sets the mood for the album. “Your Attendance” features flute, keyboards, percussion and bass, and soars freely from start to finish. “Ignition” carries a mellow groove with a much larger ensemble - a favorite! “Dare To Dream” is more ethereal with a hypnotic repeating piano figure in the foreground for most of the piece along with backing instruments (including trumpet) that gradually move forward as the piano fades - a very interesting piece! “Blessed Unrest” picks up the energy level considerably and features piano in the lead along with flute, percussion and bass. At almost six minutes, the music has plenty of time to tell its unique story! “Ærligt og kærligt” is a soulful piano solo whose title translates to “honestly and lovingly” and expresses so much in its brevity. “Lonesome Contentment” has the flute in the lead with the piano and ambient keyboard sounds supporting it - musical magic! “Fortification” has a strong groove and features most of the ensemble taking turns with the upbeat lead. “Theme For Past Friendships” is an intriguing title! The bittersweet music features piano, percussion and bass in an easy-going musical dialog that brings the album to a peaceful close.

You Live and Learn will be released on November 27, 2026 and can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp and Amazon on CD, vinyl, streaming and download. It can be pre-ordered to stream and download on Apple Music/iTunes. On the release date, it will be available on many streaming services including Spotify, Pandora and YouTube. More links will be added as they become available. Check it out!