Alceu Valença

Alceu Valença (born July 1, 1946) is a Brazilian composer, writer, performer, actor, and poet.

Alceu Valença
Background information
Birth nameAlceu Paiva Valença
Born (1946-07-01) July 1, 1946
São Bento do Una, Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil
OriginPernambuco, Brazil
GenresMPB
Brazilian rock
Frevo
Worldbeat
Baião
Occupation(s)singer, songwriter
InstrumentsVoice, guitar
Years active1968–present
Websitehttp://www.alceuvalenca.com.br/

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, the electric bass, and lately even a synthesizer was added to his broad scope of musical instruments.

Because of that, Alceu was able to recreate 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.

Biography

Alceu Valença was born in São Bento do Una, Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. When he was young, he used to listen songs by Dalva de Oliveira, Orlando Silva, Sílvio Caldas etc. When he was 5 years old, he participated in a music contest, singing a song by Capiba. Some years later, his mother got sick and his family moved to Recife to live in his aunt's house. In this period, Valença got interested in some musical instruments, such as acoustic guitar and viola. However, he only won his own guitar when he was 15.[1]

In 1970, Valença earned a law degree at the Recife Law School.[1] However, he only followed the career for a few of months. In fact, in the early 1970s, the reason he had no time for a law career was that he had already launched into a musical direction.[2]

He started his musical career in 1968, with the group Underground Tamarineira Village, later known as Ave Sangria. He also played with Zé Ramalho and Elba Ramalho during this period. In 1972, he joined Geraldo Azevedo. Together, they participated of many festivals and, in that same years, recorded their first album: Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo, also known as Quadrafônico.[1][2]

Along his career, Valença recorded more than 20 albums and travelled around many countries, such as Portugal, France and United States. Actually, he is considered one of the greatest exponents of the music of Pernambuco.[3]

Finally, with the 2013 release of Três Tons de Alceu Valença, a box with the oldies Cinco Sentidos (1981), Anjo Avesso (1983) and Mágico (1984) all of Alceu Valença's solo work is available on CD. In 2014, his album Amigo da Arte was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Brazilian Roots Album.[4]

Discography

References
  1. "Alceu Valença: Biografia". Dicionário Cravo Albin da Música Popular Brasileira (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  2. "Alceu Valença". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  3. "Alceu Valença: Release". Música de Pernambuco (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  4. "Nominados – 15a Entrega Anual del Latin Grammy". Latin Grammy Awards official website (in Spanish). Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  5. "Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo – Quadrafônico". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  6. "Molhado de suor". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  7. "Vivo". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  8. "Espelho cristalino". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  9. "Coração bobo". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  10. "Cinco sentidos". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  11. "Cavalo de pau". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  12. "Anjo avesso". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  13. "Mágico". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  14. "Estação da luz". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  15. "Ao vivo". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  16. "Rubi". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  17. "Leque moleque". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  18. "Oropa, França e Bahia". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  19. "Andar andar". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  20. "7 desejos". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  21. "Maracatus, batuques e ladeiras". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  22. "O grande encontro". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  23. "Sol e chuva". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  24. "Forró de todos os tempos". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  25. "Todos os cantos". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  26. "Forró lunar". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  27. "De janeiro a janeiro". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  28. "Ao vivo em todos os sentidos". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  29. "Embolada do tempo". Cliquemusic (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  30. "Marco Zero ao vivo". Discos do Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  31. "Ciranda mourisca". Discos do Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 14, 2010.
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