Chiaroscuro Records

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 to 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]