Maynes and O’Neal Unite Classical and Jazz Traditions in Tribute Recitals

Written by Chantal Gapato  |  January 8, 2026

Pianist Jack Maynes and vibraphonist John O’Neal will present a pair of chamber music recitals that blend classical repertoire with jazz improvisation as part of the San Juan Symphony’s Beyond the Concert Hall series.

Titled In Tribute: Music for Vibes and Piano, the program will be performed at 7 p.m. on January 16 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Durango and again at 2 p.m. on January 17 at the Connie Gotsch Theater on the campus of San Juan College in Farmington.

The concerts pay tribute to the musical legacy of Chick Corea, Gary Burton, and Makoto Ozone, whose collaborations helped expand the expressive possibilities between classical music and jazz. The recitals will feature works by Maurice Ravel, Samuel Barber, Nikolai Kapustin, Makoto Ozone, and Chick Corea, reimagined through a fusion of written composition and improvisation.

The program opens with Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, a work rooted in French Impressionism, which Maynes and O’Neal will interpret through a jazz influenced lens inspired by the Burton Ozone tradition. Barber’s Excursions I, Op. 20 will follow, a piece that reflects American musical idioms within a classical framework.

A contemporary perspective will be represented by Ozone’s Times Like These, while Corea’s Native Sense and Armando’s Rhumba will highlight the jazz pianist’s enduring influence on both genres. The recital will conclude with a work by Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin, known for combining classical forms with jazz language.

O’Neal, an associate professor of music at Fort Lewis College, proposed the recital concept after performing Times Like These with Maynes during the college’s 2024 Faculty Showcase. Both musicians cite the 2007 appearance of Gary Burton and Makoto Ozone in Durango as a formative influence on their artistic development.

Maynes, a Durango native and adjunct professor of jazz and guitar at Fort Lewis College, began his studies as a classical piano major before incorporating jazz into his musical training. He currently teaches, performs in multiple genres, and maintains a private studio at Stillwater Music.

San Juan Symphony Music Director Thomas Heuser praised the duo’s collaborative approach, noting that their shared musical background and rapport make the intimate chamber setting particularly compelling.

Tickets for the concerts are priced at $30 for adults and $10 for students, and are available at the door or through the San Juan Symphony website. 

Photo courtesy of Judith Reynolds