Swinging on the Hudson: An Unlikely Haven for Jazz

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.

Its 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 its 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.)