Denin Slage-Koch, assistant professor of jazz guitar in the Natalie L. Haslam College of Music, was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from the UT Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development’s ASCENT Program. He joins a select few UT faculty for this transformational award in its inaugural year. With the grant funding, Slage-Koch will compose, record, release, and promote an album of original music with fellow UT jazz faculty and prominent guest guitarists, with aspirations of earning international acclaim and major recognition in the music industry.
The ASCENT Program first opened in Fall 2025. The program was created to provide major financial support for transformative projects led by UT artists, humanists, and social scientists to achieve ambitious results for the applicant, their field, and the University. The program represents a significant investment in the humanities and social sciences and provides support for projects that may otherwise be difficult to realize.
When the ASCENT Program was first announced, Slage-Koch immediately recognized an opportunity to pursue something big. Slage-Koch has already released several projects, but the ASCENT grant represents the opportunity to realize his vision without cutting corners and to promote the album at the highest levels for maximum impact. Earning the ASCENT grant not only provided the necessary financial support but inspired confidence that the University believes in his vision.
“My goal for this project is not to make the best guitar album or jazz album that I can. I am aiming to make the best ‘Denin’ album that I can. Receiving this award feels like a highly-affirming greenlight to pursue this project,” said Slage-Koch. “Composition is extremely important to me in my work as a musician. As I am writing for this project, I am treating each individual song as its own entity that I must present in its best possible form – in other words, preserving the core musical idea while also presenting it in whatever way maximizes that idea. As such, I am letting go of concerns about genre or meeting others’ expectations, instead trying to write as courageously as I can – that’s how I will be able to make it sound like me.”
Slage-Koch has already written dozens of tunes for the record (he hopes to write 40 and choose the best 12-15) and has set the recording dates for May 2027 in Nashville. In addition to his UT faculty colleagues Keith Brown on drums, Jon Hamar on bass, and Gregory Tardy on saxophone, two prominent guitarists have agreed to contribute to the project: Kurt Rosenwinkel, regarded as one of the most influential jazz guitarists of the past 30 years, and Andy Wood, touring lead guitarist for acts such as Rascal Flatts and Christina Aguilera who has been hailed as one of the most accomplished guitarists of his generation.
“Kurt has been a mentor of mine for a very long time, and I am so grateful,” said Slage-Koch. “Andy was someone I wanted to connect with from the day I arrived in Knoxville, and he has become a great friend and supporter. To have such amazing guitar players agree to be a part of this project is frankly a bit intimidating, but I also know that I will be inspired to play my best by their presence and contributions.”
Earning the ASCENT grant came at a serendipitous time for Slage-Koch, who was appointed last academic year as the new assistant professor of jazz guitar. As he continues to develop his guitar studio in this new tenure-track position, he also hopes to give his students as much access to the process as possible. Slage-Koch plans to document the process and offer insight into the timeline, details, business, and nuance of recording and releasing albums. He hopes his experience will inspire his students to relentlessly pursue their musical and professional goals.
“As musicians, and especially those of us in education, part of our responsibility is maximizing the positive impact we can make on the world and using our gifts to their full potential,” Slage-Koch said. “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and the chance to make an impact in my own way by making the most personal, honest music I can.”
Slage-Koch will record, mix, and master the album during Summer 2027, with an expected release in early 2028. Follow the Natalie L. Haslam College of Music for updates on the album and a behind-the-scenes look at Slage-Koch’s creative process.