The Detroit Jazz Festival's 2011 Artist in residence, Jeff “Tain” Watts, was voted twice as “Best Drummer” (Modern Drummer Magazine), is one of the most original and influential drummers on today’s music scene and holds the distinction of being the only musician on all Grammy Award winning jazz records by Wynton and Branford Marsalis.
Watts’ formal training began at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, where he majored in percussion/timpani. But it was at the Berklee College of Music where he began honing his un-mistakable style along with Kevin Eubanks, Greg Osby, and Marvin "Smitty" Smith.
Starting in 1981, Tain enjoyed a 7-year stint with the Wynton Marsalis Quartet and played with George Benson, Harry Connick Jr. and McCoy Tyner before joining the Branford Marsalis Quartet in 1989.
While a member of Branford’s group, Watts played in the Tonight Show band for 3 years and co-starred in the Spike Lee film "Mo Better Blues". Since then he has recorded and toured with Branford as well as Danilo Perez, Michael Brecker, Betty Carter, Kenny Kirkland, Courtney Pine, Geri Allen, Alice Coltrane, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Ravi Coltrane.
Tain is equally impressive as a bandleader. He has produced six critically acclaimed CDs titled “Watts" (Dark Key Music 2009), "Folk's Songs" (Dark Key Music 2007), “Detained, Live at the Blue Note" (Half Note 2004), "MegaWatts" (Sunnyside 2003), "Bar Talk" (Sony 2002) and "Citizen Tain" (Sony 1999).
Watts has also won several Grammy Awards for the following projects: Wynton Marsalis for Black Codes From the Underground (1986), Wynton Marsalis for J Mood (1987), Wynton Marsalis for Marsalis Standard Time – Vol. I (1988), Branford Marsalis for I Heard You Twice the First Time (1993) and Branford Marsalis for Contemporary Jazz (2001).
“Short of visionary, Tain still possesses heat, nuance, maturity, and a bounty of ideas.” – Entertainment Weekly
Click here to read a January 2011 review of "Tain" in the New York Times.
