Sig Millonzi
1924 – 1977
"Sig" or "Siggy" Millonzi (pianist) was born Sigmund Morris Millonzi in Milwaukee on August 8, 1924. As a small child, he lived with his parents, brother, aunt, uncle, and Sicilian-born grandparents in a rented house on North Astor Street near East Kilbourn Avenue. Living in a musical household, he began to play the piano at age three. He and his immediate family then moved to the Bay View neighborhood, residing at 3069 South Wentworth Avenue, and he attended Bay View High School. His interest in music grew, and by age 13, he was leading his own big band. He also studied classical piano.
In the spring of 1943, while still a teenager, Sig enlisted in the Army, serving as an aerial gunner in the Pacific during World War II. He was discharged in January 1946, and in August, he married his longtime girlfriend, Eileen. He held full-time day jobs as a department store clerk and a cement worker. However, by the early 1950s, he had dedicated himself to being a full-time musician, soon to become a well-known jazz pianist and bandleader.
His music career almost didn't come to be. In February 1951, Sig and bassist and singer Connie Milano were involved in a car crash that nearly took their lives. Driving home from a gig in Sheboygan, they were struck from behind by a car going 75 miles per hour. The Milwaukee Journal reported that Connie's nose and cheekbones were smashed "so completely that he was almost faceless." It took five operations by a plastic surgeon to restore his face. The Milwaukee Journal stated, "It is almost impossible to tell that Connie was ever disfigured."
Constantine "Connie" Milano (1927–2008) was a Milwaukee-born singer and bassist who had been a professional boxer. He had an amazing music career that included performing as a vocalist with Charlie Parker. He moved to Chicago in the early 1960s and later to Miami Beach, FL. Sig and Connie teamed up with Milwaukee guitarist Don Momblow (1920-1989) to form a group known as the Mil-Con-Bo Trio. They worked in Chicago and Milwaukee and released an instrumental LP, The Mil-Combo, on Capitol Records in 1955. The recording was met with favorable reviews, and the trio traveled to New York City to perform for two weeks at the iconic jazz club Birdland. Returning to Milwaukee, Siggy performed at venues such as Curro's, the Red Lion Room at the Knickerbocker Hotel, Someplace Else, Top of the Marine, and KG's Supper Club.
In the late 1960s, he led a trio that included bassist Lee Burrows and drummer Jack Carr, documented on their LP Three Times Over. In October of 1972, he suffered a heart attack, and musicians held a fundraiser benefit at the Pfister Hotel that attracted around 1,000 fans. He was back performing by New Year's Eve, and he continued his busy schedule with gigs that included the Lakefront Festival of the Arts and Summerfest.
A Monday night residency of his big band, which he had first formed in the late 1960s, began in 1975 at Club Garibaldi (2501 South Superior Street) in his Bay View neighborhood. This residency, a favorite of jazz fans, continued into 1977.
Following another heart attack on February 3, 1977, Siggy was hospitalized at the Veterans Administration Hospital for several weeks. Two and a half weeks after his release, he was readmitted due to pain and weakness. He passed away two days later, on April 6, 1977. In his honor, a memorial concert featuring many of Milwaukee's top jazz artists was held in the Grand Ballroom of the Pfister Hotel.
Listen to Sig Millonzi, Don Momblow, and Connie Milano perform “Pick Yourself Up,” “Out of Nowhere,” “September in the Rain,” “There's a Small Hotel,” “Yardbird Suite,” and “I Get A Kick Out of You,” recorded in Los Angelas on November 29, 1954.
