Local musician James Dubberly is a very busy man. He can be found playing with the Modesto Symphony Orchestra at the Gallo Center for the Arts one night, teaching low brass at California State University, Stanislaus the next day and in his spare time working with his newly formed Latin jazz band Orquesta Dharma on their upcoming CD.

And those are just a few of the activities that keep Dubberly busy in the regional music scene.

“It’s kind of the way it is... as a brass player, as a trombone player, in the music business you have to be able to play a lot of different things,” he said.

Dubberly jams with the Jazz Mafia Symphony (“Brass, Bows and Beats”), Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Realistic Orchestra, Mike Vax Big Band, and several salsa groups including award -winning Avance, of which he is a current member.

He has performed with many notable salsa soneros since coming to the Bay Area in 2003, including Frankie Vasquez (Soneros del Barrio), Willie Torres (Spanish Harlem Orchestra), platinum-selling artist Tony Vega, Luis Acosta and Tito Rojas.

“The Bay Area and also Sacramento and the Central Valley to an extent, have been pretty involved in the Latin jazz and salsa scene,” said Dubberly.

Dubberly has toured four continents and over 20 countries with ensembles ranging from chamber music, symphony orchestras, Broadway style “pit” orchestras, to salsa and Latin jazz. He performed on national and international tours of several Broadway productions, including “Five Guys named Moe,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “How to succeed in business without really trying,” “Grease,” “West Side Story,” and “A Chorus Line.”

He formed his own Latin jazz band, Orquesta Dharma, which showcases his writing and arranging talents, and is currently in the recording process for a soon to be released CD. Dubberly also started a jazz vespers concert series at the First United Methodist Church of Modesto, of which he is also a member.

A friend from church recently convinced the extremely busy musician to donate his talents for a worthy cause, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The Jamie Dubberly Trio, featuring Dubberly, Giulio Cetto on bass and Dylan Caligiuri on guitar, will be highlighting a benefit concert from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 23 at Deva Café in downtown Modesto. A $5 donation will be taken at the door.

Two days later, Dubberly will be performing a faculty recital at the Snider Recital Hall on the Cal State Stanislaus campus. The show will be a mix of his talents, with the first half featuring classical selections and the second half more Latin jazz and salsa pieces.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $10 each.

More information about Dubberly’s Latin jazz project can be found at www.orquestadharma.com. The band’s album is expected to be released within six weeks, and will feature Santana percussionist Karl Perazzo and many of the Bay Area’s finest Latin and jazz musicians.

To contact Kristina Hacker, e-mail khacker@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2004.