Gardenia Society

THE GARDENIA SOCIETY
The Gardenia Society is the social outreach of the Billie Holiday Memorial Foundation. The Foundation was formed in 1972 by Billie’s half-sister, Nicole Holiday in response to Billie’s portrayal in the movie “Lady Sings The Blues”.  

The Gardenia Society’s focus is music appreciation

Music Appreciation is People Appreciation

OUR Programs
Twitch Streaming Channel

Our Twitch.tv channel is the main stage for our programs and provides an interactive point of engagement. The channel supports a variety of content as we:

  • stream the playing of donated records
  • stream live performances
  • host interviews on multiple topics

Audiences from around the world join together for entertainment and cultural awareness. We are uniquely positioned to discuss periods of American history through music. American culture is dynamic as it is infused with the cultures of our new citizens

See the Record Collection
Live Performances

Along with our Twitch channel, we host live performances and provide tour support for emerging artists.

We partner with traditional venues while building our network of :

  • schools
  • homes
  • high-density housing
  • corporate campuses.

This effort is aimed at reducing touring expenses and enriching the local music community. 

Scheduled Events
Music Appreciation Blog

Music Appreciation is usually a formal investigation of the ways in which music is created and enjoyed. The various instruments and arrangements are studied as a way to articulate what is happening during a musical performance. We attempt to take a more informal approach and focus on the musician as a person within the context of their times. In particular, Jazz and Blues as America’s contribution to world music are looked at in terms of the Black American Experience.  As these genres are relatively recent and are enabled by advances in technology; we strive to understand the “whole picture” from the person, technology, and business issues.

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Giving Tuesday Goal

Nov 30, 2021

$7500

Donate
Recent Blog Posts
Mary Lou WIlliams
Mary Lou Williams – The Spirit Is Calling
Mary Lou Williams is an important and often overlooked link in the story of Jazz. She was one of the first women to take the stage and own the spotlight. Her compositions and arrangements remain fresh and modern even today.  She was more than a performer; she was the tireless supporter for those carrying jazz forward. She was likely responsible for the discovery of Charlie Christian and set in motion the events that placed him and that new(ish) electric guitar on the largest stage for jazz at that time; Benny Goodman's small groups. 
Read More
BillieHolidayMemFoundation
Where we started – The Gardenia Society
The Gardenia Society is the social outreach of The Billie Holiday Memorial Foundation which was established in 1972. Nicole Holiday formed the foundation upon the release of the movie "Lady Sings The Blues". The portrayal of Billie was considered one-sided and sensational, portraying her as a powerless victim. This was not the case. Billie was a strong, independent woman that would readily own her failings and responsibility while living by the lyric, "Don't Explain". We love Billie and seek to widen our musical interests into other genres while focusing on the heart of the performer.
Read More
Calvin Keys Detours
Calvin Keys – Pure Joy
Calvin Keys remains among the top jazz guitarists of all time. His career spans from the late 60's to today. As a competent and sought-after side-man to confident leader; he has played everywhere and with almost everyone. Through it all, he embodies Pure Joy.
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NotOurRecordsYet
Not Our Records – Yet!!

We thank the generous donors that have given us their family record collection. Now that we have a mass of vintage material, we are committed to playing each record at least once and either adding it to our collection or passing along to others.
We will play the records on our Twitch Show – Rainy Day Radio.

Read More
MUSIC APPRECIATION IS PEOPLE APPRECIATION
Contact

Address:

1900 McCarthy Blvd.
Suite #204
Milpitas, CA 95035

Email:   contact@mail.gardeniasociety.org

Our SPONSORS
(coming soon)
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© Copyright 2021 The Gardenia Society