¡Cimarrón! Joropo Music from the Plains of Colombia (Smithsonian Folkways Records SFW40557, 2011)
Cimarron is one of the leading exponents of Colombian musica llanera, the music of the Orinoco River plains. The plains of Colombia and Venezuela are cowboy country and the most popular genre is joropo, a fast paced harp-driven music, which is accompanied by guitars and percussion.
Cimarrón’s new album is titled ¡Cimarrón! Joropo Music from the Plains of Colombia. Group leader, harpist and joropo innovator Carlos Rojas has assembled an excellent line-up of virtuoso musicians, including Freyman Rolando Cárdenas Pulido on percussion, dance, vocals; Carlos Andrés Cedeño Delgado, bass; Darwin Rafael Medina Fonseca, cuatro; Luis Eduardo Moreno Rojas on vocals; Ferney Rojas Cabezas on bandola llanera; Óscar José Oviedo Osorio on percussion and dance; Ana Veydó Ordóñez on vocals, dance; and Edison Fernandez Torres Ramirez on percussion.
“The cimarrón is the bull that knows no rope, corral, nor iron, the steer that has not been lassoed nor branded and ranges free on the savannas and surrounding forests,” says Carlos Rojas Hernández, leader of group Cimarrón. “That concept always struck me; nothing can be closer to the creative spirit that constitutes the essence of plains music, than that feeling of freedom.”
The CD comes with an extensive booklet in English and Spanish that includes track notes, an introduction to música llanera and artist biographies
¡Cimarrón! Joropo Music from the Plains of Colombia is a an extraordinary collection of vibrant and passionate joropo pieces by Cimarrón.
Watch Grupo Cimarrón perform “Pajarillo” at the 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival:
Track list:
1. Joropo quitapesares (Joropo Quitapesares)
2. Vine a defender lo mío (I Came to Defend My Own)
3. El cimarrón (The Wild Bull)
4. Zumbaquezumba tramao (Planned Zumbaquezumba)
5. Llanero siente y lamenta (Plainsman Feels and Laments)
6. El gavilán (The Sparrow Hawk)
7. Llanero soy (I Am a Plainsman)
8. La tonada (The [Milking] Song)
9. Mi sombrero (My Hat)
10. El guate (The Outsider)
11. Tierra negra (Black Land)
12. Mi llano ya no es el mismo (My Plains Are No Longer the Same)
13. Cimarroneando (“Cimarrón-ing”)
Buy the album or MP3 downloads:
- In North America: ¡Cimarrón! Joropo Music from the Plains of Colombia. Other recordings available: Si Soy Llanero: Joropo Music From Orinoco
- In Europe: ¡Cimarrón! Joropo Music from the Plains of Colombia. Other recordings available: Si Soy Llanero: Joropo Music From Orinoco
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
