The Grupo Cimarrón ensemble is known for their explosive música llanera (plains music) and fast-paced, triple-meter joropo. They live up to the meaning of their name Cimarrón: “wild bull.”
Since creating Grupo Cimarrón in 1986, leader and harpist Carlos Rojas has looked both backward and forward in time. The música llanera and joropo have roots in 19th-century Colombia, and the style of singing, playing and instruments used have been carefully modeled on tradition. The ensemble has created a new mix by emphasizing rhythm and creativity and insisting that joropo dance be a part of the performance wherever possible. Grupo Cimarrón has performed in China, Europe, and North and South America.
Harp, guitars (bandola and cuatro), maracas, wooden box drum (cajón) and the rhythm of the dancers’ feet are the instruments used by the high-energy Grupo Cimarrón, all of whom carry strong ties to the cattle country of the Colombian plains. Each band member is a virtuoso in his or her own discipline, and the albums provide a medium for both collective and individual expression.
The group’s 2004 Smithsonian Folkways release Sí, Soy Llanero earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional World Album.
In 2019, Cimarrón released a music video filmed at the top of Mavecure mountains in the depth of the Amazonian rainforest, the same location as the Oscar-nominated Colombian movie “Abrazo de la serpiente” (Embrace of the Serpent) released in 2015. The video featured the single “Tonada de la Palomita,” a milking-song from the Plains of Colombia featuring the sound of an old indigenous deer-skull whistle never seen before out of Latin America. The video was directed by French filmmaker Jeremiah.
Cimarrón musical director and harper Carlos “Cuco” Rojas died on Friday, January 10, 2020, in Bogotá, Colombia. Despite the tragic loss, the ensemble continued under the leadership of Ana Veydó
In 2022, Cimarrón released a new album titled “La Recia“. The album reached No. 1 at the Transglobal World Music Chart in July,
Also in 2022, German TV channel Deutsche Welle (DW) produced a documentary that explores the life of the current bandleader Ana Veydó. She is a pioneer in joropo recio, the traditional music from the Orinoco River Plains that has been historically dominated by men and associated with cattle ranches and men on horseback. The 26-minute documentary features the diversity of the region through the images of a little town called San Martín de Los Llanos, where Cimarrón is based.
Discography:
Sí, Soy Llanero – Joropo Music From The Orinoco Plains Of Colombia (Smithsonian Folkways, 2004)
Joropo Music From the Plains of Colombia (Smithsonian Folkways, 2011)
Orinoco (Cimarron Music, 2014)
La Recia (2022)
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.