Alceu Valença

Alceu Valença (born July 1, 1946 in São Bento do Una) is an accomplished Brazilian composer, writer, performer, actor, and poet.

Alceu Valenca was born in countryside Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. He is considered the most successful artist in achieving an aesthetic balance between traditional northeastern Brazilian music and a broad range of electronic sounds and effects from pop music. One can find traces of maracatu, coco and "repentes de viola" (improvising fast-paced Brazilian folk music)in most of his songs. Alceu was able to utilize the electric guitar - which is a likely influence of Elvis - the electric bass, and lately even an synthesizer was added to his broad scope of musical instruments.

Because of that, Alceu was able to re-signify Northeastern traditional music, like baião, coco, toada, maracatu, frevo, caboclinhos, embolada and repentes: all sung with a sometimes rock sometimes alternative sounding music background. His music and his themes are intangible, universal and unlimited. However, his aesthetic basis is genuinely Brazilian Northeastern music.

Alceu Valenca is one of the most well regarded music artists in Brazil.

Discography

* Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo (aka Quadrafônico) (1972)
* Molhado de Suor (1974)
* A Noite Do Espantalho (1974) (First two songs on album)
* Vivo! (1976)
* Espelho Cristalino (1977)
* Coração Bobo (1980)
* Cinco Sentidos (1981)
* Cavalo de Pau (1982)
* Anjo Avesso (1983)
* Mágico (1984)
* Estação da Luz (1985)
* Ao Vivo (1986)
* Rubi (1986)
* Leque Moleque (1987)
* Oropa, França e Bahia (1988) - Live in Rio de Janeiro
* Andar Andar (1990)
* 7 Desejos (1992)
* Maracatus, Batuques e Ladeiras (1994)
* O Grande Encontro (1996) - (Live with Elba Ramalho, Geraldo Azevedo and Zé Ramalho)
* Sol e Chuva (1997)
* Forró de Todos os Tempos (1998)
* Todos os Cantos (1999) - Live in Olinda, Recife, Montreux
* Forró Lunar (2001)
* De Janeiro a Janeiro (2002)
* Ao Vivo em Todos os Sentidos (2003)
* Na Embolada do Tempo (2005)

External links

* [http://www.alceuvalenca.com/ Alceu Valença] website
* [http://www.nordesteweb.com/alceu/ Alceu Valença]
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* [http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/valenca_alceu/albums.jhtml?albumId=573914 MTV's Alceu Valença] page