Jeff 'Tain' Watts

Jeff "Tain" Watts (born January 20, 1960) is a jazz drummer who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter, Michael Brecker, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, Troy Roberts and others. Jeff is a 2017 Guggenheim Fellow in the field of music composition.

Biography

Jeff "Tain" Watts holds the unique distinction of being the only musician to appear on every Grammy Award-winning jazz record by both Wynton and Branford Marsalis.

He got the nickname "Tain" from Kenny Kirkland when they were on tour in Florida and drove past a Chieftain gas station.

Watts has worked in the film and television industry as both a musician on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for three years and as an actor, playing Rhythm Jones in Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues. Watts performed and recorded with the Branford Marsalis Quartet from 1985 to 2009. He currently performs with his own groups The Watts Project and the Jeff "Tain" Watts Quartet, as well as with McCoy Tyner, The George Cables Project, and Geri Allen. In 2007 Watts started his own record label, Dark Key Music, releasing Folk's Songs in 2007, Watts in 2009 and Family in 2011. Terence Blanchard won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Solo for Dark Key Music's "Dancin' 4 Chicken". Watts writes most of the compositions on his own albums.

Watts is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and can be seen on the album cover of Branford Marsalis's Braggtown with a Terrible Towel.

Discography

As leader

• Megawatts (2004, originally recorded in 1991), Sunnyside
• Citizen Tain (1999), Sony
• Bar Talk (2002), Sony
• DeTAINed at the Blue Note (2004), Halfnote
• Folk's Songs (2007), Dark Key Music
• WATTS (2009), Dark Key Music
• Family (2011), Dark Key Music
• Blue, Vol. 1 (2015), Dark Key Music
• Wattify (2016), Dark Key Music
• Blue, Vol. 2 (2016), Dark Key Music
• Travel Band - Detained in Amsterdam (2018), Dark Key Music

As sideman

• Heavy Blue (SteepleChase, 1980) - Larry Willis
• Wynton Marsalis (1982) - Wynton Marsalis
• Scenes in the City (1983) - Branford Marsalis
• Black Codes (From the Underground) (1985) - Wynton Marsalis
• Live at Blues Alley (1986) - Wynton Marsalis
• Standard Time Vol. 1 (1986) - Wynton Marsalis
• Royal Garden Blues (1986) - Branford Marsalis
• Open House (1988) - Harry Miller
• Random Abstract (1988) - Branford Marsalis
• Different Perspectives (JMT, 2989) - Robin Eubanks
• Hard Groovin' (Muse, 1989) - Ricky Ford
• When Harry Met Sally... (1989) - Harry Connick, Jr.
• Trio Jeepy (1989) - Branford Marsalis
• Crazy People Music (1990) - Branford Marsalis
• Kenny Kirkland (1991) - Kenny Kirkland
• The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1991) - Branford Marsalis
• Terence Blanchard (1991) - Terence Blanchard
• I Heard You Twice the First Time (1992) - Branford Marsalis
• Bloomington (1993) - Branford Marsalis
• The Dark Keys (1996) - Branford Marsalis
• Songbook (1997) - Kenny Garrett
• The Force (Qwest-Warner Bros., 1998) - Robert Stewart (saxophonist)
• Two Blocks From the Edge (1998) - Michael Brecker
• Time Is of the Essence (1999) - Michael Brecker
• Simply Said (1999) - Kenny Garrett
• Requiem (1999) - Branford Marsalis
• Osteology (1999) - Conrad Herwig
• Contemporary Jazz (2000) - Branford Marsalis
• Footsteps of Our Fathers (2002) - Branford Marsalis
• Romare Bearden Revealed (2003) - Branford Marsalis
• Eternal (2004) - Branford Marsalis
• Translinear Light (2004) - Alice Coltrane
• A Love Supreme Live (2004) - Branford Marsalis
• Tales Of Time And Space (2005) - Paul Grabowsky
• Channel Three (2005) - Greg Osby
• Outside by the Swing (2005) - Chihiro Yamanaka
• Braggtown (2006) - Branford Marsalis
• Quartet (2007) - McCoy Tyner
• Letter to Herbie (2008) - John Beasley
• Metamorphosen (2009) - Branford Marsalis
• Mostly Standards (2009) - David Kikoski
• Positootly! (2009) - John Beasley
• Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard (2010) - Mingus Big Band
• Circles (2010) - Benito Gonzalez
• Circular (2011) - Laura Kahle
• Undeniable: Live at Blues Alley (2011) - Pat Martino
• My Witch's Blue (2012) - Makoto Ozone
• The Seeker (2014) - Azar Lawrence
• Christmas With Friends (2015) - India Arie/Joe Sample
• Secret Rhymes (2015) - Troy Roberts
• Movin' Forward (2015) - Robi Botos
• Convergence (2016) - Warren Wolf
• Leslie Odom Jr. (2016) - Leslie Odom Jr.
• And To The Republic (2016) - ELEW

Recognition

Grammy Awards

• Career Wins: 6
• Career Nominations: 15