Boxhead Ensemble was formed Los Angeles, California, in 1991 when Michael Krassner was commissioned by Braden King and Larry Stuckey to record the music for their independent student documentary The Original Pantry Café. Krassner assembled local musicians who improvised the music comprising the score. In 1996, King invited Krassner to create the music for another documentary he had filmed, Dutch Harbor.[1] Having moved to Chicago, Krassner became familiar with the local music and decided that Gastr del Sol would fit with the mood he was looking to create with the music.[2] Reed player Ken Vandermark joined the group and the improvised score was released in 1997 as Dutch Harbor – Where the Sea Breaks Its Back.[3] The film and its soundtrack received some acclaim and Dutch Harbor began touring Europe, with Boxhead Ensemble providing improvised musical accompaniment to every screening of the film. Some of the music performed at the showings appeared in The Last Place to Go, released in 1998.[4]
After the tour of Dutch Harbor, Krassner drastically altered the line-up of the group and Boxhead Ensemble started recording studio albums. They produced Two Brothers in 2001, Quartets in 2003 and Nocturnes in 2006.
In 2010, Boxhead Ensemble composed the soundtrack to Braden King's feature-length dramatic film Here.[5] The group also performed for the movie's premier at the Museum of Modern Art, where they improvised the score while screening the film.[6]
