Watts recibió el apodo de "Tain" de Kenny Kirkland cuando estaban de gira en Florida y pasaron por una gasolinera Chieftain. ^[1]​En 2017 recibió una beca Guggenheim en composición musical ^[2]​ Watts asistió al Berklee College of Music, donde conoció a su colaborador Branford Marsalis. ^[3]​

• 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)

Con John Beasley

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

Con Paul Bollenback

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

Con Michael Brecker

• Two Blocks from the Edge (Impulse!, 1998)
• Time Is of the Essence (Verve, 1999)

Con Joey Calderazzo

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

Con Charles Fambrough

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

Con Kenny Garrett

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

Con Jimmy Greene

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

Con David Gilmore

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

Con Conrad Herwig

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

Con Stanley Jordan

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

Con 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)

Con Joe Locke

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

Con 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)

Con Ellis Marsalis Jr.

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

Con 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)

Con Mingus Big Band

• Tonight at Noon... Three or Four Shades of Love (Dreyfus, 2002)
• Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard (Mingus, 2010)

Con Greg Osby

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

Con Makoto Ozone

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

Con Danilo Perez

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

Con Courtney Pine

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

Con Robert Stewart

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

Con Sadao Watanabe

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

Con Warren Wolf

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

Con otros

• Claudia Acuna, Rhythm of Life (Verve, 2002)
• Ron Affif, 52nd Street (Pablo, 1996)
• Geri Allen, The Nurturer (Blue Note, 1991)
• India Arie & Joe Sample, Christmas with Friends (Motown, 2015)
• Victor Bailey, Bottom's Up (Atlantic, 1989)
• Terence Blanchard, Terence Blanchard (Columbia, 1991)
• Michiel Borstlap, Gramercy Park (EmArcy, 2001)
• Robi Botos, Movin' Forward (A440, 2015)
• Don Braden, The Fire Within (RCA Victor, 1999)
• Donald Brown, Early Bird (Sunnyside, 1988)
• Billy Childs, The Child Within (Shanachie, 1996)
• Betty Carter, It's Not About the Melody (Verve, 1992)
• Steve Coleman, Weaving Symbolics (Label Bleu, 2006)
• Alice Coltrane, Translinear Light (Impulse!, 2004)
• Ravi Coltrane, Moving Pictures (BMG, 1998)
• Harry Connick Jr., When Harry Met Sally... (CBS, 1989)
• DR Big Band, The Impaler (Red Dot Music, 2010)
• Barbara Dennerlein, Outhipped (Universal, 1999)
• Doky Brothers, 2 Blue Note Medley (EMI, 1997)
• Chris Minh Doky, Cinematique (Blue Note, 2002)
• ELEW, And to the Republic (Sunnyside, 2016)
• Kurt Elling, The Questions (Okeh, 2018)
• Kevin Eubanks, East West Time Line (Mack Avenue, 2017)
• Robin Eubanks, Different Perspectives (JMT, 1988)
• Antonio Farao, Black Inside (Enja, 1999)
• Joe Ford, Today's Nights (Bluemoon, 1993)
• Ricky Ford, Hard Groovin' (Muse, 1989)
• Sonny Fortune, From Now On (Blue Note, 1996)
• Joe Gilman, Treasure Chest (Timeless, 1992)
• Paul Grabowsky, Tales of Time and Space (Warner, 2004)
• Lalah Hathaway, A Moment (Virgin, 1994)
• Robert Hurst, Robert Hurst Presents: Robert Hurst (Columbia, 1993)
• Rodney Jones, Dreams and Stories (Savant, 2005)
• Marlon Jordan, For You Only (Columbia, 1990)
• Ronny Jordan, A Brighter Day (Blue Note, 2000)
• Kenny Kirkland, Kenny Kirkland (GRP, 1991)
• Azar Lawrence, The Seeker (Sunnyside, 2014)
• Mark Ledford, Miles 2 Go (Verve Forecast 1998)
• Bill Lee, Do the Right Thing (Columbia, 1989)
• Buckshot LeFonque, Buckshot LeFonque (Columbia, 1994)
• Brian Lynch, Spheres of Influence (Sharp Nine, 1997)
• Russell Malone, Heartstrings (Verve, 2001)
• Rick Margitza, This Is New (Blue Note, 1991)
• Rene Marie, Vertigo (Maxjazz, 2001)
• Delfeayo Marsalis, Pontius Pilate's Decision (Novus, 1992)
• Hector Martignon, Refugee (Zoho, 2007)
• Pat Martino, Undeniable: Live at Blues Alley (HighNote, 2011)
• Harry Miller, Open House (Optimism, 1989)
• Bill Mobley, New Light (Space Time, 2008)
• Charnett Moffett, Music from Our Soul (Motema, 2017)
• Big Nick Nicholas, Big and Warm (India Navigation, 1983)
• Odean Pope, Odeans List (In+Out, 2009)
• Eric Revis, Tales of the Stuttering Mime (11:11, 2004)
• Jim Snidero, Mixed Bag (Criss Cross, 1988)
• Gary Thomas, Seventh Quadrant (Enja, 1987)
• Jean Toussaint, Blue Black (Space Time, 2001)
• Renee Rosnes, Life On Earth (Blue Note, 2001)
• Sonny Rollins, Falling in Love with Jazz (Milestone, 1989)
• Stephen Scott, Something to Consider (Verve, 1991)
• Lew Soloff, Rainbow Mountain (Enja, 1999)
• T. K. Blue, Eyes of the Elders (Arkadia, 2001)
• Take 6, Join the Band (Reprise, 1994)
• Alex Sipiagin, Steppin' Zone (Criss Cross, 2001)
• McCoy Tyner, Quartet (Half Note, 2007)
• Manuel Valera, Urban Landscape (Destiny, 2015)
• Mark Whitfield, True Blue (Verve, 1994)
• James Williams, Meet the Magical Trio (EmArcy, 1989)
• Larry Willis, Heavy Blue (SteepleChase, 1990)
• Ben Wolfe, No Stranger Here (Maxjazz, 2008)
• Chihiro Yamanaka, Outside by the Swing (Verve, 2005)

^[4]​

• Sitio web oficial

• Review of Folk's Songs at JazzChicago.net