25 Anos Não São 25 Dias / 25 Anos Nao Sao 25 Dias

The Quinteto Violado is the most successful regional group. For almost 30 years, they have been producing music heavily inspired by the Northeastern folklore, but, at the same time, they incorporated electronics, new harmonies/arrangements, and pop treatments to their work. The successful formula made them one of a kind, separated from the folkloric groups which were excluded from the contact with people by mass media, and also separated from the groups which adhered to innocuous commercial trends. This live recorded album (1996) is the retrospective commemoration of their 25 years of success. With guest stars Elba Ramalho and Alceu Valença they revisit the Northeastern repertory, where even pop stars like Chico César are included ("Navio negreiro"). Also included is Tom Jobim's "Águas de Março," the only track representative of the of Southeast. One of the deepest emotional songs is "Cantiga do Sapo," a hot, swinging classic by the coco master Jackson do Pandeiro, interpreted in a slower tempo than the uptempo rendition made famous by Jackson. "Embolabola" is a funny moment: in the best tradition of embolada (the ancient precursor of rap, born in Northeast centuries ago), Alceu Valença began to improvise endlessly until the band suddenly stopped, cutting his creation short. The recording caught their friendly arguments after the song finished. A great document of Quinteto Violado's unprejudiced virtuosity, this album represents an important chapter of Brazilian music.