BRATTLEBORO — On Friday, March 21 at 8 p.m., Open Music Collective presents a “Spring Equinox Meeting of the Trios” quartet with Harvey Diamond on piano, Mitch Seidman on guitar, Claire Arenius on drums, and Jamie MacDonald on bass.
A chance meeting eight years ago in Cambridge, Mass., brought these musicians together for a show at Lilypad, a performance space for new and improvisational music.
Since then, Seidman has recorded two CDs and performed a number of concerts with MacDonald and Arenius; the bass and drums unit has performed similarly with Diamond.
This is their first time banding together since that day at Cambridge.
Diamond, a highly sought-after educator, was one of the final, prize students of the late, great Lennie Tristano. He has performed with Sheila Jordan, Dave Liebman, Charles Neville, and Art Farmer.
Seidman was inspired to pursue jazz guitar by a Kenny Burrell record and then by the late Attila Zoller through study and a close friendship that began in 1974. A professional musician and music educator for more than 40 years, he's performed at festivals and presented clinics internationally.
Drummer/composer/educator Arenius has been performing in jazz and improvisational music for almost 30 years. Her formative years were spent studying music at the University of Massachusetts, where Archie Shepp and Max Roach were on faculty.
She has performed and/or recorded with jazz greats such as Tal Farlow, Slide Hampton, Richard Davis, Marion Brown, Charles Neville, George Mraz, Ray Copeland, Mose Allison, Barney Kessel, and Sheila Jordan.
MacDonald, an upright and electric bassist, performs in a number of genres, but is known in New England principally as a professional, musical, and eclectic bassist.
As a classical musician he is principal bassist in the Keene Chamber Orchestra, Windham Orchestra, Raylynmor Opera Company, and Hugh Keelan Ensemble.