Travel Deals – THE pianist Fred Hersch seemed right at home here one recent Saturday night, onstage at the Falcon, a perfectly unlikely jazz haven in this Hudson Valley hamlet. Leading a trio, he mingled standards and originals, including a graceful waltz with the appropriate title “Snow Is Falling.” The standing-room crowd, a few hundred strong, was lavish with its applause, never more so than when Mr. Hersch made a brief acknowledgment: “I just want to congratulate Tony for putting this place together.”
Tony is Tony Falco, an environmental scientist who has spent the last decade presenting jazz concerts in a barnlike structure he built behind his house. Over the years the intimacy of the setting and the hospitality of Mr. Falco and his family have brought a revolving roll call of top jazz talent to this town 70 miles north of Manhattan.
“It’s a really special place,” Kevin Hays, another acclaimed pianist, said of the Falcon, where he will appear with a trio on April 2. “The audiences are always great: quiet and respectful, even though it’s a very relaxed vibe, with kids often running around.”
I began hearing about the Falcon four or five years ago, from musicians who had played there. It sounded like a model of small but sturdy local activity, in a community far (but not too far) from the feverish metabolism of the city. Yet Mr. Falco’s operation isn’t on the radar of the average New York jazz fan; why would it be, with so many options closer to home? (Mr. Hersch, who played a week at the Village Vanguard in January, is scheduled to perform at the Weill Recital Hall on March 31.)
One recent development should add some incentive for out-of-towners: last fall Mr. Falco moved the Falcon from his backyard to larger accommodations on Route 9W, the town’s main drag. The handsomely renovated room, in what was once a 19th-century button factory, more than doubled his seating capacity, while easing tensions with his neighbors.
Since opening the day after Thanksgiving, the Falcon has settled into a steadier rhythm than ever before, with shows every Friday and Saturday. A liquor license came through in late January, and the kitchen began turning out light dinner fare. In theory, a visit to the club could form the cultural centerpiece of a restorative Hudson Valley weekend.
I set out to test that theory along with my wife, Ashley Lederer, who has grown warily accustomed to my idea of a weekend getaway. (I review pop and jazz for The New York Times; she harbors the humane conviction that a weekend should feel different than the rest of the week, and that a getaway involves getting away.) The good news is that we enjoyed Mr. Hersch’s two sets, with the bassist Larry Grenadier and the drummer Richie Barshay, at least as much as we would have in the city. Even better news: The weekend really did feel like a mini-vacation.
It began with a roadside stop at the workshop of Bruce Bayard, also known by the name of his trademark creation, Chainsaw Bear. Since 1993 Mr. Bayard has been using chainsaws to carve three-foot-high wood sculptures, specializing in grizzlies but also producing made-to-order sea captains and cigar-store Indians. He warmly welcomed a pair of unexpected visitors, sharing some tips about the area, starting with the Falcon.
The Hudson Valley is known for its agriculture, and the town of Marlborough, which includes the farming hamlets of Marlboro and Milton, fits the bill. Most of the area’s orchards and farms have yet to reopen for the season; Meet Me in Marlborough, a cooperative of farmers and businesses, oversees orchard and farm tours. Our visit, in February, was poorly timed for agritourism, but we did stop at two wineries, encountering a study in contrasts as well as a sampling of local flavor.
Benmarl Winery at Slate Hill Vineyards in Marlboro, which holds the claim to America’s oldest vineyard, wears its heritage with pride. Though no longer owned by the storied winemaker Mark Miller, who died in 2008, its cellar still holds some of his vintages, their labels dust caked and faded. A $6 six-flight tasting yielded some pleasant surprises, including a baco noir and a de Chaunac, hybrid varieties common to the Hudson Valley, as well as a crisply balanced Riesling. (As a bonus we were offered a dram of Clinton Vineyards cassis, which had a bouquet strikingly redolent of a bloody mary but the musky taste of black currant.)