Reinier Baas is a prominent figure in the contemporary European jazz scene. As a soloist, he has performed with the Metropole Orchestra, the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw and the New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra. As a side-man, he has worked with Gregory Porter, Dave Douglas, Hans Teeuwen and Han Bennink. He was Artist In Residence of the Südtirol Jazzfestival 2017, and in 2018, the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam gave him carte blanche, which resulted in the premiere of String Quartet #1. Reinier has received composition assignments from the North Sea Jazz Festival, the November Music Festival and Pynarello.

Reinier's second album, Mostly Improvised Instrumental Indie Music, received the prestigious Edison Award in 2013. In 2016, he released his fourth studio record, Reinier Baas vs. Princess Discombobulatrix, a 'mostly instrumental opera'. This collaboration with illustrator Typex and a line-up of fifteen prominent improvisers and classical musicians received wide-spread critical acclaim and earned him a second Edison Award in 2017.

Currently, Reinier Baas is a member of Benjamin Herman's new punk band Bughouse. A duo album with fellow faculty member Ben van Gelder is in the making, and their collaboration with the multiple Grammy Award-winning Metropole Orchestra entitled Smash Hits is due for release in October 2018.
Reinier is working on a series of educational videos, as well as a method for composition entitled Book of Baas.