Los Llanos Orientales are the vast plains which stretch from Colombia into Venezuela. The mestizo people that inhabit these savannahs on the great Orinoco river are descendants of Spanish settlers, African slaves and indigenous Indians.

This is cattle rearing country where life revolves around the ranches and prairies with music accompanying the daily working tasks such as milking and cattle drives. The musicians in Cimarron are immersed in the sounds of Los Llanos; they seek to explore and experiment with their rich heritage whilst retaining the essence of the tradition. Most striking for them is the festive dance music called Joropo; a fiercely virtuoso display of rippling melodies played on a harp, bandola and cuatro accompanied by bass and maracas. This rapid and joyous music is sung with high pitched voices reminiscent of Andalusian gipsy roots.

Cimarron is the most accomplished Llanero group in Columbia. Led by harpist and composer Carlos Rojas, they have been working for twenty years performing internationally in Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala, Sweden, France, Italy, England and the USA.

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