Tuesday, August 04, 2009

(Kind of) Blue Plaque

I haven't been to the Brecon Jazz Festival for donkey's years. (When was it Chris or John?)

It all came flooding back yesterday however when I read about the vote it is sponsoring for the UK's top jazz venue. Among the nominees, I've been to the Bull's Head and Ronnie Scott's loads of times, and used to attend the defunct Hammersmith Palais.

I'm chastened to note that I've never seen music in The Four Bars Inn (now Dempseys), Castle Street, Cardiff, as I'd already flown the coop by 1987.

I'm also pleased to join the general hilarity that has accompanied Buckingham Palace's place in the list.
Buckingham Palace, London, 1919-1932 The palace hosted a series of royal command performances by jazz musicians, starting with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1919.
"The current Queen is not notably musical," sniffs the Guardian, missing an opportunity to mention the IPod that Barack Obama gave her. I thought it was compulsory to include a reference to that device whenever possible in British feature journalism.

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