Jeff "Tain" Watts
American jazz drummer (born 1960)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jeff "Tain" Watts (born January 20, 1960) is an American jazz drummer and composer who has worked across genres including Grammy wins with The Metropolitan Opera, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis Quartet and Mingus Big Band. Performing with Michael Brecker, Alice Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, McCoy Tyner, Ravi Coltrane, and others.
Also known asTain
BornJanuary 20, 1960
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OriginPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
GenresJazz
Jeff "Tain" Watts | |
|---|---|
 Watts performing with Branford Marsalis in JazzFest 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Tain |
| Born | January 20, 1960 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Origin | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations | Musician, bandleader, actor |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Label | Sunnyside |
| Website | tainish |
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
With Paul Bollenback
With Michael Brecker
With Joey Calderazzo
With Charles Fambrough'
With Kenny Garrett
With Jimmy Greene
With David Gilmore
With Conrad Herwig
With Stanley Jordan
With David Kikoski
With Joe Locke
With Branford Marsalis
With Ellis Marsalis Jr.'
With Wynton Marsalis
With Mingus Big Band
With Greg Osby
With Makoto Ozone
With Danilo Perez
With Courtney Pine
With Robert Stewart
With Sadao Watanabe
With Warren Wolf
|
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 |
| 2025 | Best Jazz Performance | Phoenix Reimagined (Live) | Jazz | Nominated | Lakecia Benjamin ft Randy Brecker, Jeff Tain Watts and John Scofield |
