Despite their youth, Ebblis and Kelly Valdivia have, in a few
short years, made their mark on the music industry in Cuba and have established
a loyal following around the world. While it is easy to first get distracted
by their good looks, do not make the mistake of thinking that their success
is due to appearance. They are both talented artists who have studied at the
national arts schools. Ebblis studied Performance Arts at the National School
of the Arts (ENA) and has performed in both the theater and on television prior
to launching his musical career. And Kelly is a graduate of the the National
University of the Arts (ISA) with a degree in folkloric dance.
Their entry into the upper echelon of timba would have to have
been when Ebblis began singing with Klímax.
After a time with Klímax, he was invited to join La
Charanga Habanera to replace singer Dantes Cardosa who had left
to form his own group. While some people might have feared what would happen
to La Charanga Habanera after the departure of El Ricky, Ebblis quickly won
over the hearts of the Charanga fans and become known as El Boni, taken from
the name of the semi-biographical song written for him by David Calzado. In
fact more people may know him by this apodo than by his own name.
When Ebblis left Klímax, Giraldo Piloto chose to bring
in Kelly to fill his spot. Thus both brothers have spent some time in what is
considered by many to be the "musician's timba band" because of its
innovative style. But as with Ebblis, Kelly received an invitation to join another
band, this time it was Pedro Camacho's El
Clan. El Clan is one of the preferred bands of the younger generation
in Cuba. I remember reading an interview with Juan Formell of Los Van Van where
he said something about the importance of remaining in step with the times,
I think the quote was "our competition isn't Pupy y los que son son, it's
El Clan".
Both Ebblis and Kelly have enjoyed great success in their respective
bands, but they have also been interested in working together for some time.
And now they have finally brought that dream to life, leaving La Charanga Habanera
and El Clan to work on their joint project which is appropriately called Together.
The project is not timba, but Latin Pop and ballads. However, a number of participants
are big names in timba and the new CD will include their own versions of the
hits El Boni and Ese Soy Yo. The Valdivia brothers have had
the foresight to bring in one of the great producers/arrangers in Cuba today,
Juan
Manuel Ceruto. In addition the new CD will boast songs by Juan
Formell and Ricardo
Amaray as well as songs composed by Ebblis and Kelly themselves.
Ebblis and Kelly are both excellent performers and dancers
and have cut their musical teeth with some of the major bands of today. We are
looking forward to seeing what they come up with when the CD is finally released.
In the meantime you can read some interviews with Boni
& Kelly, check out some recent photos,
or watch some videos of Ebblis and Kelly when they were with La
Charanga Habanera and El
Clan.
