Electro-acoustic Jazz ensemble THIEFS is a trans-Atlantic collaboration between Parisian saxophonist Christophe Panzani and New York bass-and-drums team Keith Witty and David Frazier Jr.  Hailed by The New York Times for its “startling mash ofnatural and synthetic, resonant and fractured,” and by JazzTimes for “transcending the concept of idiom altogether,” THIEFS is currently touring in support of their sophomore release, Graft, an evocative odyssey informed by jazz, hip-hop, electronic,experimental music and more. The subject matter, so pertinent in this political moment, is identity, dislocation, migration andotherness. “‘Graft’ is the idea of being augmented, stripped bare, transformed by cultural experiences, by places, by the movement of people,” bassist and co-leader Keith Witty explains. “It refers to the mixing of roots, sometimes violently,sometimes quietly and unremarkably.”   "If this band appeared in New York City, they'd be a sensation!" That was guitar great--and one-time Mel Brown bandmate--George Benson's reaction after hearing the Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group open for him in 2003.  This true all-star band has been a sensation for a long time—including a 20-year run on Thursdays at Portland’s Jimmy Mak’s (The Oregonian dubbed them “Jimmy Mak’s signature group”).  A collective resume that reads like a "Who's Who" of NW jazz, blues, and soul, this group has the talent and confidence to be completely spontaneous--from their blistering solos to their improvised arrangements and segues. MEL BROWN -- An Oregon icon, has been labeled the "Gentleman of Jazz," with a career spanning a half century. The city of Portland proclaimed June 22, 1989 "Mel Brown Day" in recognition of Mel's achievements as a musician and educator, receiving the Governor's Arts Award in 2002. Mel first made his mark as a Motown staff drummer, recording and touring with the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, and many others. He subsequently spent ten years working with Diana Ross and other pop acts before giving up the road in 1991 and returning home to his first love: jazz. Mel has been a fixture in Portland ever since, leading groups six nights a week at Jimmy Mak's and other venues when he isn't backing jazz artists like Joey DeFrancesco and Benny Golson.