[4] Fanfare Ciocărlia, a twelve-member brass band, originate from Zece Prăjini, a village located in Western Moldavia, northeastern Romania.

In Moldavia, a farmer suggested he head to the small Romani village of Zece Prăjini, where a brass band existed and played at weddings and baptisms.

Afterward, Ernst received a phone call from WDR, a German public broadcasting institution and festival promoter, who wanted to book Fanfare Ciocărlia and was willing to pay a fee that would cover all transport, visas, and other expenses.

[7][8] Fanfare Ciocărlia quickly won a large following in northern Europe, with their powerful brass sound appealing to rock and rave fans as well as world music audiences.

[citation needed] Fanfare Ciocărlia continued their international touring schedule, accompanied by German film director Ralf Marschalleck, who followed them from their village to Berlin and Tokyo for his feature-length documentary, Iag Bari – Brass on Fire.

[9] In 2005, Ernst and Neumann produced the Fanfare Ciocărlia album Gili Garabdi – Ancient Secrets of Gypsy Brass, both in the band's home village of Zece Prajini and in Berlin's Headroom Studio.

[citation needed] Ernst and Neumann decided that an effective way of both celebrating Ivancea's life and capitalising on the public's enthusiasm for Gypsy music would be by publishing a new album.

The first concert on the Gypsy Queens & Kings tour took place in Bucharest in December 2006 and found Fanfare Ciocărlia playing Romania's capital for the first time, joined on stage by Esma Redzepova, Jony Iliev, and Mitsou.

In September 2009, Asphalt Tango simultaneously released two Fanfare Ciocărlia albums: Live, which featured the band's Berlin concert, and Best of Gypsy Brass, a compilation record.

[citation needed] Fanfare Ciocărlia returned to the studio in early 2011, with Ernst producing on the Balkan Brass Battle sessions.

[citation needed] Having toured Balkan Brass Battle internationally, Fanfare Ciocărlia were invited to Toronto in 2013 to record with Canadian guitarist Adrian Raso.

The resulting album, Devil's Tale, was released by Asphalt Tango Records in the spring of 2014 and billed as Adrian Raso and Fanfare Ciocărlia.

The album included "Fiesta de Negritos", a cumbia dance track they recorded in Medellín, Colombia with Puerto Candelaria.