Tony DePaolis has quickly become one of the most in-demand bassists in Pittsburgh. His supple, solid playing and working knowledge of many different styles of music has led to an intense schedule of performances in the area and in other regions in the US. Tony hails from a musical family that has been active in the Pittsburgh music scene since the mid-60s. His father, Don DePaolis, is a noted pianist and composer best known for his work in the 70s with Eric Kloss, Nathan Davis, and Roger Humphries, among others, and his mother, Kathy Connor, was well known for an extended tenure with the Silhouettes. Coming from such a musically privileged family has had many advantages, and Tony has pursued studies with David LaRocca, Jeff Grubbs, Micah Howard, Dwayne Dolphin, and Dave Pellow. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 2004, Tony returned to the Pittsburgh area and began his professional career in music in earnest. In addition to the feat of supporting himself solely from playing music in public, Tony also had the honor of being selected for the 2008 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Tony has worked for and shared the stage with the following notable artists:

Jimmy Ponder

Roger Humphries

Sean Jones

Kenia

Wesla Whitfield

Romero Lubambo

Yotam Silberstein

Fernando Merlino

Helio Alves

EJ Strickland

Tony DePaolis – The Contemporary Dynamic (self-released, 2009)*

Jimmy Ponder – Somebody’s Child (High Note, 2007)

Sarah Partridge – You Are There (Nagel Heyer, 2006)

Colter Harper – Once Upon a Mind (self-released, 2007)

Gemini – Evermore (self-released, 2007)

Phat Man Dee – Torch of Blue (self-released, 2007)*
*also produced by Tony DePaolis