Buckingham Palace made a surprise appearance today on a shortlist of the country's most important jazz venues.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis' seminal album Kind Of Blue, the Brecon Jazz Festival invited fans to nominate the venues they thought had made the greatest contribution to jazz in the UK, with the winning venue to be marked with a plaque.

The Queen's London residence joined the likes of Ronnie Scott's and the infamous Club Eleven on the shortlist for the inaugural (Kind Of) Blue Plaque thanks to a series of Royal Command Performances given for George V.

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB), regarded by many as the first "proper" jazz band, entertained the king and his courtiers on their UK tour in 1919.

After an uncertain start to the concert - one band member recalled the assembled aristocrats inspected them through eyeglasses "as though there were bugs on us" - the king roared his approval, loudly applauding their rendition of Tiger Rag.

The band's hell-raising antics proved rather less popular with other parts of the aristocracy and the tour ended with them being chased to Southampton docks by a furious, shotgun-wielding Lord Harrington, whose daughter the lead singer had been romancing.

A later command performance at the palace, in 1932, saw legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong blow protocol out of the window by dedicating a song to the king with the words: "This one's for you, Rex".

Other more conventional nominees on the list include Ronnie Scott's club in Soho and Club Eleven, which was closed following a police raid in 1950 after running for just two years, but which is seen as the crucible of modern British jazz.

Nominations outside the capital include the Old Duke in Bristol, which has held nightly live jazz events since the late 1960s and run a festival for 52 years; the Concorde Club in Eastleigh, Hampshire, which has run continually for 53 years; and The Perch in Binsey, near Oxford.

Though defunct since 1948, in the 30s and 40s the Perch was hugely popular with Oxford students looking for the latest - and at that time wild and daring - jazz sounds.

Fans can vote for their choice on the Brecon Jazz Festival website - www.breconjazz.org - from today, and the winner will be announced on Friday.

The inaugural (Kind Of) Blue Plaque will be attached to the winning building - or a spot nearby - next summer.

The nominees in full
The Four Bars Inn (now Dempseys), Castle Street, Cardiff, 1987-present.
The Four Bars was founded by Jed Williams, a leading figure behind the Brecon Jazz Festival until his death in 2003. It has hosted the Mike Harries' Roots Doctors for many years.
Band on the Wall, Swann Street, Manchester, 1970s-present.
Band on the Wall is one of Manchester's premier live jazz venues and is now run as a charitable trust devoted to bringing music to new audiences.
The Perch, Binsey Lane, Binsey, near Oxford, 1928-1948.
The Perch, a short distance down the River Thames from Oxford, was a popular haunt for students seeking the latest jazz sounds in the 1930s and 1940s.
Buckingham Palace, London, 1919-1932.The palace hosted a series of Royal Command Performances by jazz musicians, starting with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB) in 1919. A performance in 1932 saw Louis Armstrong break protocol by dedicating a song to King George V with the words: "This one's for you, Rex."
The Old Duke, King Street, Bristol, late 1960s-present.
The Old Duke has run its own annual festival for 52 years as well as putting on jazz every night of the week.
The Concorde Club, Eastleigh, Hampshire, 1957-present.
The club has been run for 53 years by Cole Mathieson, playing host to Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster in the early days.
Feldman Swing Club, 100 Oxford Street, London, 1942-1954.
Opened in 1942 by Joseph Feldman as a showcase for his jazz-prodigy children, the Feldman Swing Club was the first club in London to play jazz exclusively.
Ronnie Scott's, Frith Street, London, 1959-present.
The most famous jazz club in Britain was opened by Ronnie Scott in 1959 and has not closed its doors since, hosting all the greatest names in jazz.
Bull's Head, Lonsdale Road, Barnes, south-west London, 1959-present.
Has hosted eight jazz gigs a week continually for the past 60 years - nominated by many different members of the public.
Hippodrome, Cranbourn Street, London, 1900-1983.
Hosted the UK's first official jazz gig, by the ODJB, in 1919.
Hammersmith Palais, London, 1919-2007.
Also hosted the ODJB, and now condemned to demolition.
Club Eleven, Windmill Street, then Carnaby Street, London, 1948-1950.
The crucible of modern British jazz, it was open for only two years in the late '40s before being closed down following a police raid in 1950.