I thought I would take a moment to introduce you to my partner in repair crime. Not long after I arrived in DC, we were at a gig of the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece big band that plays every Monday night, and being that I was looking to set up shop, I shamelessly approached everyone in the band at the break to chat about…well, the wonders of ME. That’s when I met Jeff Bonk. Yes, that’s right – BONK. “Like bonking your head,” he said.

Turns out he was sitting in for the regular bass bone player that night, and turns out, he had a shop in Virginia where he worked on brass. And he needed…..ME! He didn’t know that at the time, but within another couple of weeks, I was setting up my shop at Music Repair Works in Lorton. And here he is…

The Bonk

We call him “The Bonk,” who is clearly bonkers, based on the evidence above. Now you might wonder why he found himself in such a precarious position. Some gigs are just dangerous. This one was an Indian wedding, complete with costumes for the band. I swear, he doesn’t always look like this.

We do have some fun around the shop and Jeff has a way with words, lots of them, that stream out along a continuous, winding path that eventually lead back to the matter at hand. He is also a great trombone player and has played with the likes of the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club Big Band, the Fresno Symphony Orchestra and a bunch of bands around town, that include members of the Airmen of Note, the Navy Commodores and Army Blues. His connections bring a lot of great players into the shop.

And speaking of the shop, we’re about ready to embark on an “infrastructure makeover.” Stay tuned…