In the fall of 2019, Louise and I decided to record some of Anthony Braxton's compositions in Toftlund. Composition No. 136 is one of Braxton's most-recorded pieces, with a wide variety of interpretations, but almost always being treated as a "tune" rather than as raw material to be used in other compositions; Louise and I chose to follow standard procedure in our treatment of No. 136.

I've always been fascinated by Braxton's titles and their relationship to his music. The connections with No. 136's title seem to be clear; several people skiing down a mountainside, with the sun shining and a house with fire burning in the fireplace in the background, seems to connect directly to the way the music starts in a fairly straightforward manner, with notes written out directly, but quickly skids off into dangerous territory, where the music gets more and more abstract. The concept of "serious fun" is central here, where exhilarating speed is the goal, but where a wrong turn can end in tragedy.

In our performance of this piece, we took it nice and easy in terms of tempo, but it quickly takes some very strange turns. They may not be turns of speed, but they definitely take us to some bizarre places. We hope that listeners can enjoy this version as a worthy addition to the library of other versions released by Braxton and others.

- Tom Blancarte