The SF Jazz fest is in full swing (sorry, we couldn't help the pun). Thursday and Friday the Herbst Theater will hose the world premiere of Anomaly, a new piece by Glenn Kotche which was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by the Angel Stoyanof Commission Fund. Although Kotche may be most familiar as the drummer for Wilco, his percussion career has more breadth and depth than most other rock drummers. Kotche answered questions about the piece, and its connection the Bay Area for us below. SFist also has one pair of tickets to give away to each night’s show. Enter by 8 pm Wed. night. Winners will be notified via email and can pick tickets up the night of the show

What inspired Anomaly?
Several things - initially just watching Kronos perform and getting ideas on how to expand upon the overlooked similarities between a string quartet and the drum set. Then the passing of my closest uncle inspired some improvised vibraphone lines that ended up supplying many of the melodic motifs of the piece. Also, learning about the man in whose honor it was commissioned - Angel Stoyanof. Meeting and getting to know his family and his life a bit. All of these things played key roles in the way I approached the piece and how it all came together.

Photo by Richie Wireman