SANTA BARBARA — From the plains of the Orinoco River which runs between Venezuela and Colombia, Cimarrón perform the festive dance music of joropo, a fiercely virtuoso display of rippling melodies and powerful rhythms combining Andalusian, indigenous American, and African roots. ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! presents Cimarrón in a series of free family performances starting on Friday, September 16, at Isla Vista School; with a stop on Saturday, September 17, at Guadalupe City Hall, and a final concert on Sunday, September 18, at The Marjorie Luke Theatre. All evening concerts start at 7:00 pm and are followed by a receptions for audience and artists.
The Colombian plains are cowboy country and joropo was created as an accompaniment for the hard work of herding livestock. The lyrics center on daily life on the prairie where there are more cattle than people; the songs deal with love, land, and work, and reflect a regional pride and love of place. Out on the plains the songs are sung by men rounding up herds or riding ahead for the animals to follow a voice. One of the musical distinctions of Cimarrón is the unique female voice of Ana Veydó who sings in a hardy style known as recio.
Música llanera, plains music, is characterized by musical structures, distinctive sounds and wildly energetic dance. At the heart of the sound is the arpa llanera, plains harp, whose sound reflects its European and West Africa kora heritage. The bandola – a lute – also shares an African heritage. The cuatro is a small four-string guitar that serves as rhythmic accompaniment. The maracas are of indigenous American origin and are still used by shamans in traditional healing. In another distinct musical move, Cimarrón includes cajon, an Afro-Peruvian box drum. Essential to llanera sound is zapateado, rough percussive and highly virtuosic dance performed at fantastic tempos.
Cimarrón harpist Carlos Rojas is a composer and has been leader of the group since its founding in 1986. His musical education began as a child in San Martin de Los Llanos where he listened to an elderly harpist play every evening in a bar near his family home. By the time he touched a harp to begin learning, his head was already full of the music. Carlos Rojas has led Cimarrón to worldwide honors including an Independent Music Awards Best Latin Album in 2012, and the Lunas del Auditorio Best Show of Traditional Music Award in 2014. Cimarrón records with Smithsonian Folkways and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional World Music Album in 2005. Cimarron has appeared at WOMAD, WOMEX and many prestigious festivals throughout Europe and the Americas; in fact they have toured 32 countries. Carlos Rojas was one of a group of musicians who accompanied Gabriel Garcia Marquez to Sweden to be honored with the Nobel award for Literature in 1982.
Cimarrón musicians seek to explore and experiment with their rich heritage while retaining the essence of the tradition; the intertwining of old and a creative new is at the heart of their sound. According to Carlos Rojas, “We depart from tradition, we support ourselves on tradition, but we know that we owe our creativity as a tribute to tradition.” In recent years Cimarrón has attracted talented new young members also raised in tradition and a profound learning is happening in the group at all times.
Cimarrón’s visit includes four days community outreach to schools, after school programs, and juvenile detention facilities.
About ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!: Now in its twelfth season, ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! is sponsored by SAGE Publications, The Roddick Foundation, Anonymous, Elva & Byron Siliezar, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, UCSB Office of Education Partnerships, The Stone Family Foundation, the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission Community Arts Grant Program, with funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. Additional support comes from The Marjorie Luke Theatre’s Dreier Family Rent Subsidy Fund. The program is supported in part by the Santa Barbara Independent, the Santa Maria SUN, El Latino CC, Radio Bronco, Univision, the Best Western South Coast Inn, the Hampton Inn, Pacifica Suites, and Ramada Limited. Viva is co-presented by The Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts & Education Center, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center and UCSB Arts and Lectures, in partnership with the Isla Vista School After School Grant.
Details:
- Group of seven performs joropo, high-energy music and dance from Colombian rural tradition
- Free family concerts in accessible neighborhood venues
- Friday, September 16, 2016, 7:00 pm, Free Family Concert at Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Road, Isla Vista, Information (805) 252-3493
- Saturday, September 17, 2016, 7:00 pm, Free Family Concert at Guadalupe City Hall, 918 Obispo Street, Guadalupe, Information (805) 343-2455
- Sunday, September 18, 2016, 7:00 pm, Free Family Concert at The Marjorie Luke Theatre at Santa Barbara Junior High, Santa Barbara (805) 884-4087 x7
- Meet the artists at post-show receptions after each concert
- Like ¡Viva el Arte de Sánta Barbara! on Facebook www.facebook.com/VivaelArteSB for updates