For several years, he played in several bands in the region as well as annually with the Ice Capades along with other shows and with big name performers that came to South Bend and Notre Dame, including Bob Hope, Nancy Wilson, the Harmonicats, and Sandler and Young. Conn, Rocky taught privately and directed the St. Jana, the youngest, plays very fine alto sax next to her father with the Jazz Assemblage. Both his playing and his business careers continued to flourish. Romance soon followed and he married Johanna in 1963 and over the next six years they were blessed with three daughters: Lisa, Gina, and Jana. Conn Company in nearby New Berlin, New York, and after a year and a half there, he accepted the invitation to join the company in Elkhart. Rather than teach music, he became employed by the C. During those four years, he played with the Ithaca Symphonic Winds. His university experience was spent at Ithaca School of Music from 1955 through 1959 where he majored on clarinet. (This fall, in consecutive weekends, his two grandsons broke a leg in their respective football games, one in Ohio and the other at Elkhart Memorial’s football game.) In addition to his musical activities, he also participated in varsity basketball, football, baseball and gymnastics. His instruments included clarinet, saxophone, and trumpet. He began playing in his hometown, Utica, New York, in the Thomas Proctor High School band and orchestra as well as two community bands. One of their busiest gigs is providing big band dance music for Notre Dame Dance parties throughout the year. The versative and indefatigable Rocky Giglio (photo courtesy Rocky’s still actively involved as a big band reed man but he’s limited his playing to one band, the Jazz Assemblage. His current company, jj Babbitt Co., Inc., provided, over a period of several years, an excellent Chicago big band as well as the popular saxophonist, Red Holloway. Whatever instrument company he was with over the years, we knew he was “instrumental” in the sponsorships. He played in that first festival and has been involved one way or another every year since. Since that first night, I discovered what a great jazz fan he was and when the jazz festival planning began in 1987, Rocky helped us identify possible talent for our first year. The band included several very fine players but Rocky stood out in the reed section. My first acquaintance with Rocky occurred close to a half century ago when I caught him playing with the Jazz Assemblage Big Band. He adds “My goal was to be a studio musician, as it turned out I continued to be in the right place at the right time and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Rocky came to Elkhart, looked over the situation, and accepted the job. Conn representative who asked him if he was interested in working for the Company in Elkhart, Indiana.
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When asked about coming there, he replied that he was playing a concert in Upstate New York when he was approached by a C.
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One of the best examples of the “right people” would be Rocky Giglio, a clever, highly innovative businessman and a fine big band saxophonist.Ĭurrently the president and chief operating officer for jj Babbitt Company, Inc., and his seventeen years with the mouthpiece company are a strong reflection of his half century in Elkhart. Over the past century, the city has been blessed with the right people at the right time to make this happen. Elkhart, Indiana has long been the major center in the United States for the manufacture of band instruments.