Jamie Dubberly (M. Mus. 1992),
studied trombone performance at Hartt from 1990 to 1995. He is currently living in Modesto, CA.
What have you been up to since you graduated from Hartt?
Wow, it’s
been a while! I moved to NYC for a few years after Hartt (1997-2003), and
performed with many musical theater tours in the U.S., Europe and Asia while
keeping a NYC address. I also formed a
large jazz ensemble there, and was involved with some big bands, Latin bands,
and orchestras while not on the tours. One highlight for me personally while
living in NYC was scoring the music for a play called “Utopians,” by the group The
Flying Machine, which was part of the International Fringe Festival in 1998. It
was well received by the press, and was an incredible experience collaborating
with those guys to write music that fit into the “world” of that work. The show
was extended past the original run for more than a month! In 2003 I moved to Northern California and
began freelancing and teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area. I started to
become involved with the large Latin music scene there as well as with jazz
ensembles, orchestras, and other groups. I formed my own Latin jazz ensemble in 2009,
after becoming increasingly involved with Afro-Cuban music in the Bay Area, and
released an album called “Road Warrior,” in 2011 with my band - Orquesta Dharma.
What are you involved with right now?
Right
now I am a member of a few groups based in the Bay area. Pacific Mambo
Orchestra is a large Afro-Cuban jazz and salsa/mambo group that I have been
with since its inception a few years ago, and was fortunate enough to win a
Grammy award this year, for their first recording “Pacific Mambo Orchestra!” I also am a member of Avance, which is a San Francisco
based salsa band, Realistic Orchestra, a very modern and progressive big band,
and I play principal trombone in an opera orchestra in Modesto (where I
currently live) called the Townsend Opera. I also play with various other Bay
area jazz, Latin and classical groups, and sometimes perform in the pit
orchestra for touring broadway shows in Sacramento. (I ran into classmate Philip Boykin last
summer in “Show Boat!”) Currently, I am in the midst of releasing the
2nd album with Orquesta Dharma, called “La Clave del Gumbo,” which fuses New
Orleans brass band music with Afro-Cuban jazz and salsa. I also am teaching
trombone and low brass, various classroom courses, and ensembles at California
State University- Stanislaus (Turlock), and University of the Pacific (Stockton).
What is one of your most memorable things about your time
at Hartt?
There
are several memorable things for me about being at Hartt. The Hartt Honors
Trombone Quartet, which competed nationally at the Fischoff (South Bend) and
Coleman (Pasadena) chamber music competitions, was a really great and fun
experience thanks to our amazing teacher, Ronald Borror. Being involved with the Jazz program by
playing
in the big band led by Steve Davis and being around the jazz majors was
very influential for me as well. Also,
being a part of the Hartt Symphony and getting to play some really challenging
repertoire with a very good orchestra and good friends was an amazing
experience. Being selected to play in
the student competition held by the Emerson Quartet, is still one of the
highlights of my music career, and I will never forget it! The faculty was
really great, and I learned so much while at Hartt. Probably the single most memorable thing for
me, generally speaking, though, is the sense of camaraderie and community among
my fellow students, and the fun times we shared.
What is next for you?
Who
knows!? I Just want to continue to teach
and play and write, and see what the future brings!! I am excited,
though, about the prospects of our new CD coming out in a few days though
!
If you want people to get in touch, how can they do so?
I am on Facebook, twitter, and our website is orquestadharma.com.
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