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Photo of Alceu Valença

Alceu Valença

Actor, Director, Composer, Writer, Additional Credits
Born July 1, 1946 (78 years)
Alceu Valença (born July 1, 1946) is a Brazilian singer, musician, and songwriter.

Alceu Valenca was born in the countryside of 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. In most of his songs, one can find traces of maracatu, coco and "repentes de viola" (improvising fast-paced Brazilian folk music). Valença could utilize the electric guitar, the electric bass, and lately even a synthesizer was added to his broad scope of musical instruments.

Because of that, Valença 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.

Alceu Valença was born in São Bento do Una in 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.

In 1970, Valença earned a law degree at the Recife Law School. However, he only followed the career for a few 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.

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.

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

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.

Source: Article "Alceu Valença" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For
  • A Luneta do Tempo
  • The Night of the Scarecrow

Filmography

2022
Rock in Rio: A História (TV Series) · as Self
2019
2019
Alceu Valença - João Rock · as Self - Cantor
2017
Conversa com Bial (TV Series) · as Self
2016
Vamos Tocar (TV Series) · as Self
2015
Valencianas · as Self - Cantor
2015
2014
Música Boa Ao Vivo (TV Series) · as Self
2009
2006
Por Toda Minha Vida (TV Series) · as Self
2002
Viva São João! · as Self
2002
Big Brother Brazil (TV Series) · as Self - Music Performance
2000
Altas Horas (TV Series) · as Self
1999
Linha Direta (TV Series) · as Self
1989
Jô Soares Onze e Meia (TV Series) · as Self
1989
Domingão do Faustão (TV Series) · as Self
1986
Roda Viva (TV Series) · as Self
1985
Criança Esperança (TV Series) · as Self
1982
Champs-Elysees (TV Series) · as Self
1973
Fantástico (TV Series) · as Self

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