Fanfare Ciocărlia

There are no bands around who are better, louder and faster at doing this than Fanfare Ciocărlia. The Fanfare Ciocărlia (literal translation: “the song of the lark”) was founded by Henry Ernst, who discovered the brass band in 1996 in the small, remote Romanian village of Zece Prajini. This German connoisseur of non-Western music, managed to find twelve musicians of the band for a tour of his own country. It was a massive success. Ever since then, the collective has been travelling and playing all over the world. More than ever, the group is invigorating the musical heritage and authentic character of Roma music. The fanfare has no equals when it comes to this kind of music: rhythms, rhythm changes, playfulness, their incredible speed and, most of all, their remarkable and sizzling brass sounds. The collective has been treating audiences for over 30 years to Roma and Balkan music and is as much at home in Romanian folklore as they are in timeless jazz, rock or funk music.