In 1994, Tone-East Music became a production company in Englewood, New Jersey. It was created when Mr. Antonio D. Underwood was asked to compose, write, and produce five pieces for the debut CD, Trent Song, of noted Jazz saxello performer John Purcell. Purcell, then working very closely with Saxophone great, David Sanborn and composer/instrumentalist Marcus Miller, was asked to develop his own CD project for Pony Canyon Records in Japan. He immediately called his former student and close friend Antonio.

Tony composed, produced, and performed on keyboards and vocals for the project. He featured such notables as vocalist Lisa Fischer (Rolling Stones), Katreese Barnes (former Arsenio Hall music director), premiere bassist Anthony Jackson, and premiere drummer Steven Jordan (producer/drummer for popular guitarist John Mayer).

After which, Tony, continued touring with The McCoy Tyner two time Grammy Award Winning All-Star Big Band (20 year member), with the theatre production of “Juan Darien” by Tony Award winning director Julie Taymor and Academy Award winning composer Elliot Goldenthal, and as a featured soloist with the legendary Max Roach and the So What Brass Quintet. All very good friends of Mr. Underwood, encouraged his pursuit of composition.

George Lucas got wind of Antonio’s composing skills and sent him to study Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles - the FIRST and ONLY one to receive a George Lucas Scholarship. There, he had the privilege of studying with the most outstanding composers in the field of screenwriting.

Since, Mr. Underwood has orchestrated for 2006 Grammy Song of the Year Writer, Emmanuel Seal, The World Saxophone Quartet, BeBe Winans, Regis Branson, Terry Dexter and others. His work can be heard on world wide distributed labels such as: Pony Canyon (Japan), Verve, Atlantic, Warner Bros. A&M, The Filmmakers Library, Horizon Entertainment (First Look), and others.

At present Tone-East publishes over 275 works and counting!