In 2011, researchers for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival traveled to the Orinoco Plains of Colombia. Their van broke down, leading to a filming opportunity involving Felix Chaparro Rivas, Victor Espinel Sanchez, and Carlos Rojas. Here, Espinel sings trovas, impromptu verses, in the joropo style.

Percussive strings and maracas, dynamic vocal expression, and full-throttle pace earned the joropo of the Orinoco plains of Colombia and Venezuela its place among the most exciting regional musics of Latin America. On this, its second Smithsonian Folkways album, the GRAMMY-nominated and internationally acclaimed Colombian ensemble Cimarrón distills this excitement into a tightly arranged, even more explosive rendition of their tropical tradition. Through their powerful, moody, and unbridled sound, they live up to the meaning of their name Cimarrón—“wild bull.” This album is part of the Smithsonian Folkways Tradiciones/Traditions series of Latino music albums, produced with support by the Smithsonian Latino Center.