Unsung jazz venues to get plaques

The award marks the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue album

Jazz lovers are being asked to nominate unsung British live venues for a new heritage project, called the (Kind Of) Blue Plaque scheme.

Brecon Jazz Festival organisers have set up nominations online and will award one blue plaque a year to a former or current venue.

The public is asked to suggest venues associated with legendary performers or having a pivotal role in British jazz.

It marks the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis' celebrated Kind of Blue album.

The winner will be announced just before the start of this year's festival in Brecon, Powys in August.

"The environment that allows improvisations to take place is almost as important as the players themselves," said Peter Florence, director of the Brecon Jazz Festival.

"But the venues remain only in people's memories, unlike recorded music. We want to tap into the memories of people who remembered the great days of the 1950s - and the record of what went before - to find the location for Brecon's debut (Kind of) Blue Plaque."

The plaque could even be awarded to the site of a venue which is no longer standing, but organisers have appealed for jazz lovers and local historians to dig into their knowledge and memories to help compile a shortlist.

The person who nominates the winning venue will be invited to the unveiling of the plaque just before the opening of Brecon Jazz 2010.

The festival has been rescued by organisers of the neighbouring Hay literature festival, after the company in charge hit financial problems after 25 years

A scaled-down version of the festival this year, from 7 August, will feature South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango as headline artists.