Jamie Dubberly is a first-call trombonist, composer, arranger and educator who has established a strong reputation within the Bay Area jazz and Latin music communities. A versatile performer and arranger, Dubberly formed Orquesta Dharma in 2008.

Three years later, having already begun to develop a highly distinctive sound, with trombone and low saxophones fronting an afro-cuban rhythm section, the band released its debut album Road Warrior( 2011), solidly in the tradition of such Latin jazz legends as Poncho Sanchez, Cal Tjader and Eddie Palmieri, Critical praise for the album was immediate, and it went on to win Latin Jazz Corner’s “Next Generation Album of the Year” honors

in 2011.

Dubberly and company next released La Clave del Gumbo, (2014) which featured a lineup similar to that of Road Warrior, with the addition of tuba. This new album combined the rhythms and sounds of New Orleans brass bands with Afro-Cuban jazz, salsa and soul. Critical reaction was overwhelmingly positive, with All About Jazz noting that “La Clave Del Gumbo is brimming with brassy allure, swaggering rhythms and exciting offshoots”.

Orquesta Dharma is currently in the recording process for a new release, slated for early 2024.

The band’s unique low horn section sound of trombone and tenor saxophone, combined with the powerful and driving rhythm section of percussionists, piano and bass, make for, in the words of Latin Beat magazine, “a combination that is amazing, producing a distinctively refreshing and powerful sound.”