Big Horns and bigger dreams

After making some fortuitous property investments in Northern Liberties, Dennis Sigovich has plenty of time and money to devote to his hobbies. His small collection of vintage cars and his pilot’s license are just two favorite pastimes.

But the music of jazz legend Maynard Ferguson is perhaps his most enduring passion. As an amateur trumpet player, Sigovich has dreamed of playing with Ferguson since middle school. He was never able to take the stage with The Boss, so he did the next best thing: Three years ago, Sigovich founded The Big Horn Cavaliers, a big band devoted to Ferguson’s tunes. BHC features 14 musicians, including Joe Mosello, who actually did play in the real Maynard Ferguson Band.

“I consider these musicians to be light years ahead of me. I hold on by tenterhooks, hoping I can hang in there every night I play with them,” says Sigovich. “But it is a gas. It’s fun beyond belief.”

It’s not hard to see why local professionals — like Mosello, sax-man Larry McKenna and BHC’s musical arranger, Ed Etkins — don’t mind indulging Sigovich’s Maynard mania.

“A lot of people have dreams. They talk about them all of the time, but they never do anything about it. So I like to give him some credit. He actually went ahead and did it,” says McKenna. “He’s guy who — when he wants to go after something — he goes after it.”