Denin Slage-Koch
Lecturer of Jazz Guitar
Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall
Natalie L. Haslam Music Center
PROGRAM
- It Comes in Waves
- One for Honey
- The Cost of Apathy
- Signal Fires
- The Philosopher (for Wayne Shorter)
- Quiet Year (12/31/2020)
- Kochin'
All compositions by Denin Slage-Koch
(b. 1996)
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To be alive is to be joyful and to be sorrowful, to gain and to lose, to thrive and to struggle, to carry and to be carried. As we go through life, these experiences come and go like waves tossing us about. At the mercy of life's raging seas, the only power we have is our ability to love and show compassion to one another. This truth inspired this project and was the driving idea behind the creation of this music, and it is my hope that all who hear it are inspired to love more deeply, listen more closely, and cherish everyone they meet exactly as they are.
“It Comes in Waves” is the third studio album by Denin Slage-Koch and was released October 13th, 2023. The studio recording featured trombonist Ryan Keberle (known for his work with Maria Schneider, David Bowie, Sufjan Stevens, Darcy James Argue, his own band “Catharsis” and more) and trumpeter Shane Endsley (best known as a member of the Grammy-nominated quartet “Kneebody”) along with clarinetist Jared Cathey, pianist Gavin Allen-Dunn, bassist Seth Lewis and drummer Bobby Wiens. Since its release, the album has received critical acclaim and significant radio airplay across the United States, with reviewers calling it “a masterpiece that will resonate with listeners for years to come” and praising its “lush, rich arrangements of Koch’s compositions.”
Having been praised as possessing “pristine playing, meticulous composing” and “a very personal voice deserving of attention,” award-winning guitarist, composer, and educator Denin Slage-Koch has done a lot. He’s played and recorded with artists like Ryan Keberle, Shane Endsley, Carmen Bradford, Clay Jenkins, Brad Goode, Greg Tardy, Jon Hamar, Keith Brown, Rusty Holloway, and the Colorado Symphony, written music for artists like Melissa Aldana and Carmen Bradford, released three albums of original music and served as sideman for many more, published a book, and is a full-time member of the jazz faculty at the University of Tennessee Knoxville - and he’s not even 30 years old yet. Put simply, he is one of the most exciting and unique rising talents on the scene today.
As a guitarist, Slage-Koch's accolades include multiple Downbeat Student Music Awards, a 2022 Pathways to Jazz grant award, and performances at venues including the national Jazz
Education Network conference, Rudy’s Jazz Room, Vail Jazz, Boettcher Concert Hall, Nocturne, and Dazzle Denver, among many others. His third album, "It Comes in Waves," featuring trombonist Ryan Keberle and trumpeter Shane Endsley, was released in October 2023 and has received critical acclaim and radio airplay across the United States. His debut album, “re: manhattan project,” is a ten-movement suite for jazz quintet that reimagines the story of the Manhattan Project, which Slage-Koch’s hometown of Richland, WA was deeply involved in. Among other praise, “re: manhattan project” received a four-star rating from All About Jazz and has been praised as “remarkable,” “extraordinary, “moving” and containing “beautiful interplay.”
Slage-Koch is also frequently in-demand as a composer and arranger for artists and ensembles across the United States. Among other honors, he has been selected for the 2024 Jazz Education Network Young Composer Showcase (one of four composers under the age of 30 in the nation to be honored). He also received a Herb Alpert Young Composer's award (considered the “most important award” for young jazz composers) for his piece "It Comes in Waves” in 2023. Slage-Koch has written and arranged for artists including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Melissa Aldana, Carmen Bradford, and the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra, among others, and maintains a consistent workload of commissions.
Slage-Koch holds a Doctor of Arts in Jazz Studies from the University of Northern Colorado, and has also received a Master of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Media from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Studies from Whitworth University. He has over a decade of experience as an educator. Slage-Koch's major teachers include many of the greatest musicians and educators in the world, including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gary Versace, Steve Kovalcheck, Bob Sneider, Dave Rivello, Bill Dobbins, Dan Keberle and Brent Edstrom. His music draws influence from a wide range of artists, including Pat Metheny, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Emily Remler, Wes Montgomery, Radiohead, The Beatles, Dmitri Shostakovich, Gustav Mahler, Led Zeppelin, and more