Jeff "Tain" Watts

American jazz drummer
Jeff "Tain" Watts
Watts performing with Wynton Marsalis in JazzFest 2007
Watts performing with Wynton Marsalis in JazzFest 2007
Background information
Born (1960-01-20) January 20, 1960 (age 64)
Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OriginPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, bandleader, actor
Instrument(s)Drums
LabelsDark Key Music
Websitetainish.com
Musical artist

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, and others.

Biography

Watts got the nickname "Tain" from Kenny Kirkland when they were on tour in Florida and drove past a Chieftain gas station.[1] He was given a Guggenheim fellowship in music composition in 2017.[2] Watts attended Berklee College of Music, where he met collaborator Branford Marsalis.[3]

Discography

As leader

  • Megawatts (Sunnyside, 1991)
  • Citizen Tain (Columbia, 1999)
  • Bar Talk (Columbia, 2002)
  • Detained at the Blue Note (Half Note, 2004)
  • Folks Songs (Dark Key Music, 2011)
  • Watts (Dark Key Music, 2009)
  • Family (Dark Key Music, 2011)
  • Blue, Vol. 1 (Dark Key Music, 2015)
  • Blue, Vol. 2 (Dark Key Music, 2018)
  • Detained in Amsterdam (Dark Key Music, 2018)

As sideman

With John Beasley

  • Letter to Herbie (Resonance, 2008)
  • Positootly! (Resonance, 2009)

With Paul Bollenback

  • Double Gemini (Challenge, 1997)
  • Soul Grooves (Challenge, 1999)
  • Double Vision (Challenge, 2000)
  • Dreams (Challenge, 2001)

With Michael Brecker

With Joey Calderazzo

  • Simply Music (Lost Chart, 1997)
  • Joey Calderazzo (Columbia, 2000)

With Charles Fambrough'

  • The Proper Angle (CTI, 1991)
  • The Charmer (CTI, 1992)

With Kenny Garrett

  • Songbook (Warner, Bros., 1997)
  • Simply Said (Warner, Bros., 1999)

With Jimmy Greene

  • Forever (Criss Cross, 2004)
  • Flowers Beautiful Life Vol. 2 (Mack Avenue, 2017)

With David Gilmore

  • Unified Presence (RKM Music, 2006)
  • Numerology Live at Jazz Standard (Evolutionary Music, 2012)

With Conrad Herwig

  • Osteology (Criss Cross, 1998)
  • Unseen Universe (Criss Cross, 2000)
  • Land of Shadow (Criss Cross, 2002)
  • Reflections (Criss Cross, 2016)

With Stanley Jordan

  • Cornucopia (Blue Note, 1990)
  • Live in New York (Blue Note, 1998)

With David Kikoski

  • The Maze (Criss Cross, 1999)
  • Almost Twilight (Criss Cross, 2000)
  • Combinations (Criss Cross, 2001)
  • Surf's Up (Criss Cross, 2001)
  • The Five (DIW, 2002)
  • Mostly Standards (Criss Cross, 2009)
  • Consequences (Criss Cross, 2012)

With Joe Locke

  • Beauty Burning (Sirocco, 2000)
  • Storytelling (Sirocco, 2001)

With Branford Marsalis

  • Scenes in the City (Columbia, 1984)
  • Royal Garden Blues (CBS, 1986)
  • Random Abstract (1988)
  • Trio Jeepy (Columbia, 1989)
  • Crazy People Music (Columbia, 1990)
  • Mo' Better Blues (Columbia, 1990)
  • The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (Columbia, 1991)
  • I Heard You Twice the First Time (Columbia, 1992)
  • Bloomington (Columbia, 1993)
  • The Dark Keys (Columbia, 1996)
  • Requiem (Columbia, 1999)
  • Contemporary Jazz (Columbia, 2000)
  • Footsteps of Our Fathers (Rounder/Marsalis Music, 2002)
  • Romare Bearden Revealed (Rounder/Marsalis Music, 2003)
  • A Love Supreme Live (Rounder/Marsalis Music, 2004)
  • Eternal (Rounder, 2004)
  • Braggtown (Rounder/Marsalis Music, 2006)
  • Metamorphosen (Marsalis Music, 2009)

With Ellis Marsalis Jr.'

  • Ellis Marsalis Trio (Somethin' Else, 1991)
  • Whistle Stop (CBS, 1994)

With Wynton Marsalis

  • Wynton Marsalis (Columbia, 1982)
  • Think of One (CBS, 1983)
  • Hot House Flowers (Columbia, 1984)
  • Black Codes (From the Underground) (Columbia, 1985)
  • J Mood (Columbia, 1986)
  • Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. I (Columbia, 1987)
  • The Wynton Marsalis Quartet Live at Blues Alley (CBS, 1988)
  • Standard Time, Vol. 2: Intimacy Calling (Columbia, 1991)
  • Thick in the South: Soul Gestures in Southern Blue, Vol. 1 (Columbia, 1991)

With Mingus Big Band

With Greg Osby

  • Art Forum (Blue Note, 1996)
  • Channel Three (Blue Note, 2005)

With Makoto Ozone

  • Live & Let Live Love for Japan (Verve, 2011)
  • My Witch's Blue (Verve, 2012)

With Danilo Perez

  • Panamonk (Impulse!, 1996)
  • Central Avenue (Impulse!, 1998)

With Courtney Pine

  • The Vision's Tale (Antilles, 1989)
  • Within the Realms of Our Dreams (Antilles, 1991)
  • Underground (Talkin' Loud, 1997)

With Robert Stewart

  • In the Gutta (Qwest, 1996)
  • The Force (Qwest, 1998)

With Sadao Watanabe

  • Parker's Mood (Elektra, 1985)
  • Tokyo Dating (Elektra, 1985)

With Warren Wolf

  • Black Wolf (M&I, 2009)
  • Convergence (Mack Avenue, 2016)

With others

Awards and honors

Grammy Awards

Year Category Title Genre Result Notes
1985 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group Black Codes From the Underground Jazz Won with Wynton Marsalis
1986 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group J Mood Jazz Won with Wynton Marsalis
1987 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group Marsalis Standard Time - Vol. 1 Jazz Won with Wynton Marsalis
1992 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group I Heard You Twice the First Time Jazz Won with Branford Marsalis
1990 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group Crazy People Music Jazz Nominated with Branford Marsalis Quartet
1999 Best Jazz Instrumental Album by an Individual or Group Requiem Jazz Nominated with the Branford Marsalis Quartet.
2000 Best Jazz Instrumental Album by an Individual or Group Contemporary Jazz Jazz Won with the Branford Marsalis Quartet.
2004 Best Jazz Instrumental Album by an Individual or Group Eternal Jazz Nominated with the Branford Marsalis Quartet.
2010 Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album Mingus Big Band Live at the Jazz Standard Jazz Won with the Mingus Big Band
2023 Best Opera Recording Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Blanchard) Opera Won with the Metropolitan Opera
2024 Best Opera Recording Champion (Blanchard) Opera Won with the Metropolitan Opera

Source:[4]

References

  1. ^ From an interview with Kevin Le Gendre for Jazz On 3 on BBC Radio 3.
  2. ^ 2017 Guggenheim Fellow
  3. ^ Milkowski, Bill (9 May 2019). "Jeff "Tain" Watts: The Reign of "Tain"". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  4. ^ grammy.com. Retrieved January 18, 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jeff "Tain" Watts.
  • Official website
  • Review of Folk's Songs at JazzChicago.net
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