Esthema

Esthema “plays at a truly world-class level, with authenticity, aplomb, and exuberance” writes Barry Cleveland in Guitar Player Magazine about Esthema’s sophomore release, the Hereness and Nowness of Things. A World Fusion ensemble hailing from Boston, MA (USA), Esthema has been creating their unique sound since 2006 by fusing Progressive Rock and Jazz elements with the sounds and expressions of the traditional music of the Eastern European Balkan region and the Near & Middle East. The fi...

Esthema “plays at a truly world-class level, with authenticity, aplomb, and exuberance” writes Barry Cleveland in Guitar Player Magazine about Esthema’s sophomore release, the Hereness and Nowness of Things. A World Fusion ensemble hailing from Boston, MA (USA), Esthema has been creating their unique sound since 2006 by fusing Progressive Rock and Jazz elements with the sounds and expressions of the traditional music of the Eastern European Balkan region and the Near & Middle East. The five musicians that shape the sound of Esthema bring together both Western and Eastern influences, instruments, and concepts. Onur Dilisen (violin) was born, raised, and began his studies in Turkey. In May 2009, Onur graduated from the Boston Conservatory with his Master’s Degree in violin performance. Tery Lemanis (oud & bouzouki), a graduate from Berklee College of Music’s guitar performance program studied bouzouki, oud, and Byzantine music in Greece as part of Berklee’s exchange program. Bruno Esrubilsky (drums & percussion), from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has studied, taught, and toured throughout Europe (Ireland, England, Portugal, Belgium, and Spain), Brazil, and the States and is currently enrolled at Berklee College of Music, majoring in Performance and Contemporary Writing and Production. Ignacio Long (bass), born in Patagonia, Argentina, has studied, taught, and performed in Buenos Aires, New York, and Boston. In 2007 Ignacio graduated from Berklee College of Music where he majored in Composition and Film Score. Andy Milas (guitar) has studied privately with some of Boston’s most acclaimed guitar instructors - Joe Stump, Garrison Fewell and Bruce Bartlett and in April 2010 Guitar Player Magazine called him “an exceptional guitarist and composer guitarist.” For almost two decades, Andy has performed traditional and contemporary Greek music and has performed with, and written and arranged for various Progressive Rock/Metal, New Age, and Jazz projects. As people, the individuals in Esthema come from very different places with very different experiences. As musicians, they bring those places and experiences together into one musical setting. Esthema’s first CD, Apart From The Rest released July 2007 was voted as one of the Top 25 independent recordings of 2008 at Indie-Music.com and in 2009 compositions from the CD were chosen and featured at the critically acclaimed Waterfire Providence in Providence, Rhode Island. Joel Simches from Boston’s Noise Magazine stated, “this recording is nothing less than a true celebration of a number of different styles of world beat, jazz, rock, ethnic European and Middle Eastern traditional music” and John Collinge from Progression Magazine called it “a seamless blend of Eastern and Western motifs: Ethnic scales and meters intertwine delightfully with jazz-rock drums and bass beneath jazzy improv and winding melodies.” In 2009, Esthema released their second CD, the Hereness and Nowness of Things and once again they blurred the boundaries between Eastern and Western music. Janie Franz for Skope Magazine wrote that “these two recordings have already marked them as maestros of their instruments and as masters of world fusion like no one has ever done before” and that “Listening to their work is like hearing and feeling the heartbeat of the planet.” Lily Emeralde and Emma Dyllan of Phosphorescence Magazine call it “a world-class collaboration of the highest order” and that “once again, Esthema dazzles.” Since the release of the Hereness and Nowness of Things, Esthema has been nominated for the Top 25 Award and their composition Eastern Dance hit number 4 on the Instrumental Charts at Indie-Music.com. Esthema is also currently on rotation on radio programs/stations across the United States and in Europe. On September 15 the International Association of Independent Recording Artists (IAIRA) certified Esthema’s Eastern Dance as an International ‘Top 10’. Along with the success of both Apart From The Rest and the Hereness and Nowness of Things, Esthema’s efforts will continue to concentrate on building a stronger domestic and international fan base through more press coverage, performances, CD and mp3 distribution, and radio play. They continue to write new material and if all goes as planned by the fall/winter 2011 Esthema will be back in the studio.