Jeff "Tain" Watts
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| Jeff "Tain" Watts | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | January 20, 1960 |
| Origin | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Genre(s) | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Drums |
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Jeff "Tain" Watts is a jazz drummer who has performed with jazz greats such as Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter, Michael Brecker, and many others. (See section below for a nearly complete list of musicians Tain has performed with and selected discography.) As of 2007, he has released five albums under his own name:
- Megawatts (2004, originally recorded in 1991)
- Citizen Tain (1999)
- Bar Talk (2002)
- DeTAINed at the Blue Note (2004)
- "Folk's Songs" (2007) Dark Key Music
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, so "Jeff Tain" for "Chief-tain".[1]
Jeff 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, Rhythm Jones in Spike Lee’s Mo' Better Blues. Tain currently performs with the Branford Marsalis Quartet, McCoy Tyner, The George Cables Project, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and his own band "Tain & the Ebonix". As a composer, Jeff is a creative and innovative force in modern jazz, contributing most of the compositions on his own albums. Tainish.com is his official website.
He is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and can be seen on the album cover of Branford Marsalis' Braggtown with a Terrible Towel.
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[edit] Bands
Tain has performed with:
- Claudia Acuña
- Geri Allen
- George Benson
- Michael Brecker
- George Cables
- Joey Calderazzo
- Betty Carter
- Alice Coltrane
- Ravi Coltrane
- Harry Connick, Jr.
- Robin Eubanks
- Ricky Ford
- Kenny Garrett
- Joe Henderson
- B.B. King
- Kenny Kirkland
- Branford Marsalis
- Wynton Marsalis
- Jack McDuff
- Harry Miller
- James Moody
- Courtney Pine
- Danilo Perez
- Sonny Rollins
- Gonzalo Rubalcaba
- Marcus Strickland
- Clark Terry
- Gary Thomas
- McCoy Tyner
[edit] Discography
- Scenes in the City (1983) - Branford Marsalis
- Live at Blues Alley (1986) - Wynton Marsalis
- Standard Jazz vol. 1 (1986) - Wynton Marsalis
- Royal Garden Blues (1986) - Branford Marsalis
- Open House (1988) - Harry Miller
- Random Abstract (1988) - Branford Marsalis
- When Harry Met Sally... (1989) - Harry Connick, Jr.
- Trio Jeepy (1989) - Branford Marsalis
- Black Codes (From the Underground) (1999) - Wynton Marsalis
- Crazy People Music (1990) - Branford Marsalis
- The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1991) - Branford Marsalis
- I Heard You Twice the First Time (1992) - Branford Marsalis
- Bloomington (1993) - Branford Marsalis
- Dark Keys (1996) - Branford Marsalis
- Two Blocks From the Edge (1998) - Michael Brecker
- Citizen Tain (1999)
- Time Is Of The Essence (1999) - Michael Brecker
- Requiem (1999) - Branford Marsalis
- Contemporary Jazz (2000) - Branford Marsalis
- Bar Talk (2002)
- Footsteps of Our Fathers (2002) - Branford Marsalis
- DeTAINed at the Blue Note (2004)
- Eternal (2004) - Branford Marsalis
- Megawatts (2004)
- A Love Supreme Live (2004) - Branford Marsalis
- Braggtown (2006) - Branford Marsalis
- Quartet (2007) - McCoy Tyner
[edit] Multimedia
- Drum Solo, with Branford Marsalis from "Coltane, A Love Supreme Live"
- "Yes & No", with Branford Marsalis
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ From an interview with Kevin Legenre for Jazz On 3 on BBC Radio 3.
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