| Chiaroscuro Records | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Northeast Pennsylvania Educational Television Association |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | Hank O'Neal |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | New York City |
| Official website | www |
Chiaroscuro Records is a jazz record company and label founded by Hank O'Neal in 1970. [1] The label's name comes from the art term for the use of light and dark in a painting. O'Neal came up with the name via his friend and mentor Eddie Condon, a jazz musician who performed in what were called Chiaroscuro Concerts in the 1930s. [2] O'Neal also got the name from a store that sold only black and white dresses. [3]
O'Neal ran the label from 1969–1977 and produced all but two of the albums. Its catalogue included Earl Hines, Joe Venuti, Teddy Wilson, George Barnes, and Ruby Braff. [4] [5]
O'Neal sold the label to Audiophile Enterprises in 1978, [4] [5] then bought back the catalogue when he started SOS Productions in 1987. Chiaroscuro released new discs and reissues through the 1990s. [4]
In 2011, Chiaroscuro's founders donated the company to the Northeast Pennsylvania Educational Television Association, owner of WVIA-FM-TV, the PBS and NPR member for northeastern Pennsylvania. WVIA-FM used Chiaroscuro's library to start an all-jazz station on its third HD subcarrier. [6]
