With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

By royal approval: Buckingham Palace awarded blue plaque for jazz

After 90 years, a hitherto undetected early royal enthusiasm for jazz is being commemorated with the naming of Buckingham Palace as an unlikely venue in the British development of the music.

It is doubtful that King George V was really a great fan, but a concert that he apparently enjoyed in 1919 has led to the palace's inclusion in a list of significant British jazz locations.

The palace is listed among a dozen more widely recognised sites such as Ronnie Scott's club in Soho and the London Hippodrome for enthusiasts to vote on this week in the run-up to next weekend's Brecon jazz festival.

The most popular will be given a (Kind of) Blue plaque in homage to the plaques that adorn the former homes of famous London residents, but more especially to this year's 50th anniversary of the release of Miles Davis's seminal Kind of Blue album.

The palace – as opposed to the Hammersmith Palais, which also makes the list – gets its recognition for hosting the first jazz performance before a head of state, because of a concert given by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band for the king during their British visit after the first world war...
Read entire article at Guardian (UK)