A HAMPSHIRE club which has run continually for more than 50 years has beaten the likes of Ronnie Scott's, the London Hippodrome and even Buckingham Palace to come top in a poll of important jazz venues.

The Concorde Club in Eastleigh will receive a special plaque after being voted for by British fans, in a survey organised by the Brecon Jazz Festival, which kicks off today.

Brecon Jazz asked the public to nominate past and present venues, then vote for a shortlist.

The club will be presented with a (Kind Of) Blue Plaque - named to mark the 50th anniversary this year of the release of Miles Davis's album Kind Of Blue - in the run up to the 2010 festival.

The venue was founded by Cole Mathieson in 1957 and has been playing jazz ever since.

It has played host to names such as Tubby Hayes, Humphrey Lyttelton and Acker Bilk.

The late Ronnie Scott, whose eponymous London club was also shortlisted, played at The Concorde Club the night before his own venue opened in 1959.

Club owner Mr Mathieson said: ''I am delighted that British jazz fans have chosen The Concorde Club to receive the first (Kind Of) Blue Plaque.

''For over half a century we have kept the jazz flame burning brightly and would like to thank fans, jazz lovers from across the UK and, of course, the Brecon Jazz Festival, for granting us this honour.''

In second place was Band on the Wall in Manchester, and in third place, Ronnie Scott's in London.

Shortlisted venues will be eligible for re-entry in the next (Kind Of) Blue Plaque 2010.

Buckingham Palace joined the shortlist for the inaugural award 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.''

Fans voted for their choice on the Brecon Jazz Festival website - www.breconjazz.org.

Here is the full list of nominees: :: 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 more than 50 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, central 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 1940s before being closed down following a police raid in 1950.