An EP (short for ''extended play'') is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. It is generally released before the original album. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact Discs and music downloads as well. Ricardo Baca of ''The Denver Post'' said, "EPs—originally extended-play 'single' releases that are shorter than traditional albums—have long been popular with punk and indie bands." In the United Kingdom, the Official Chart Company defines a boundary between EP and album classification at 25 minutes of length or four tracks (not counting alternative versions of featured songs, if present). Extended Play is also used to refer to VHS technology. This cuts the recording speed by two thirds and decreases the quality of the recording. It was very popular, particularly for off-air taping, because a standard-length 120 minute tape could hold three 2-hour movies, albeit in low-grade copies.

History

EPs were released in various sizes in different eras. The earliest multi-track records, issued around 1919 by Grey Gull Records, were vertically-cut 78 rpm discs known as "2-in-1" records. These had finer than usual grooves, like Edison Disc Records. By 1949, when the 45 rpm single and 33⅓ rpm LP were competing formats, seven-inch 45 rpm singles had a maximum playing time of only about four minutes per side.

Partly as an attempt to compete with the LP, introduced in 1948 by rival Columbia Records, RCA Victor introduced "Extended Play" 45s during 1952. Their narrower grooves, achieved by lowering the cutting levels and, if required, sound compression, enabled them to hold up to 7.5 minutes per side—but still be played by a standard 45 rpm phonograph. These were usually LPs split onto three seven-inch EPs, either sold one at a time or in boxed sets. This practice became much less common with the advent of triple-speed-available phonographs.

Some classical music albums released at the beginning of the LP era were also distributed as EP albums—notably the seven operas that Arturo Toscanini conducted on radio between 1944 and 1954. These opera EPs, originally broadcast on the NBC Radio network and manufactured by RCA, which owned the NBC network then, were made available both in 45 rpm and 33⅓ rpm. In the 1990s, they began appearing on Compact Discs. RCA also had success in the format with their top money earner, Elvis Presley, issuing 28 Elvis EPs between 1956 and 1967, many of which topped the separate ''Billboard'' EP chart during its brief existence.

During the 1950s, RCA published several EP albums of Walt Disney movies, containing both the story and the songs. These usually featured the original casts of actors and actresses. Each album contained two seven-inch records, plus a fully-illustrated booklet containing the text of the recording, so that children could follow along by reading. Some of the titles included ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (1937), ''Pinocchio'' (1940), and what was then a recent release, the movie version of ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' that was presented in 1954. The recording and publishing of ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' was an unusual one: it did not employ the movie's cast, and years later, a 12-inch 33⅓ rpm album of the film, with a nearly identical script, but another different cast, was sold by Disneyland Records in conjunction with the re-release of the movie in 1963.

Because of the popularity of other formats, SP records became less popular and the production of SPs in Japan was suspended in 1963.

In the 1950s and 1960s, EPs were usually compilations of singles or album samplers and were typically played at 45 rpm on seven-inch (18 cm) discs, with two songs on each side. Other than those published by RCA, EPs were relatively uncommon in the United States and Canada, but they were widely sold in the United Kingdom, and in some other European countries, during the 1950s and 1960s. ''Record Retailer'' printed the first EP chart in 1960. The ''New Musical Express'' (''NME''), ''Melody Maker'', ''Disc and Music Echo'' and the ''Record Mirror'' continued to list EPs on their respective singles charts. The Beatles' ''Twist and Shout (EP)'' reached #1 in the UK charts in 1964. When the BBC and ''Record Retailer'' commissioned the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) to compile a chart it was restricted to singles and EPs disappeared from the listings.

In the Philippines, seven-inch EPs marketed as "Mini-LPs" (but distinctly different from the Mini-LPs of the 1980s) were introduced in 1970, with tracks selected from an album and packaging resembling the album they were taken from. This Mini-LP format also became popular in America in the early 1970s for promotional releases, and also for use in jukeboxes.

Stevie Wonder included a bonus four-song EP with his double LP ''Songs in the Key of Life'' in 1976. During the 1970s and 1980s, there was less standardization and EPs were made on seven-inch (18 cm), 10-inch (25 cm) or 12-inch (30 cm) discs running either 33⅓ or 45 rpm. Some novelty EPs used odd shapes and colors, and a few of them were picture discs.

Alice in Chains was the first band to ever have an EP reach number one on the Billboard album chart. Its EP, ''Jar of Flies'', was published on January 25, 1994. Linkin Park and Jay-Z's collaboration EP, ''Collision Course'', was the next to reach the number one spot after Alice in Chains. In 2010, the cast of the television series ''Glee'' became the first artist to have two EPs reach #1, with ''Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna'' on the week of May 8, 2010, and ''Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals'' on the week of June 26, 2010.

In 2010, Warner Bros. Records revived the format with their "Six-Pak" offering of six songs on a Compact Disc.

Defining ''EP''

The first EPs were seven-inch vinyl records with more tracks than a normal single (typically four to six of them). Although they shared size and speed with singles, they were a recognizably different format than the seven-inch single. Although they could be named after a lead track, they were generally given a different title. Examples include The Beatles' ''The Beatles' Hits'' EP from 1963, and The Troggs' ''Troggs Tops'' EP from 1966, both of which collected previously-released tracks. The playing time was generally between ten and 15 minutes. They also came in cardboard picture sleeves at a time when singles were usually issued in paper company sleeves. EPs tended to be album samplers or collections of singles. EPs of all original material began to appear in the 1960s. An example is The Kinks' ''Kinksize Session'' EP from 1964.

During the 1970s, "Maxi-Singles", usually containing three reissued tracks, became fairly popular. Two examples are Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" from 1971 and David Bowie's "Space Oddity", a single from 1969 which was reissued in 1975 in RCA's Maxi-Million series. Both of these reached number one in Britain. ''The 12-inch singles'' on vinyl, which played at 45 r.p.m., were first sold during 1976, and they commonly had extended-time or additional tracks not contained in the seven-inch 45 rpm singles. An example of one of these extended songs was a ten-or-more minute version of the song ''Love to Love You Baby'' by Donna Summer, which took up one entire side of its record.

Twelve-inch EPs were similar, but generally had between three and five tracks and a length of over 12 minutes. Like seven-inch EPs, these were given titles. EP releases were also issued in cassette and 10-inch vinyl formats. With the advent of the Compact Disc (CD), more music was often included on "single" releases, with four or five tracks being common, and playing times of up to 25 minutes.

EPs of original material regained popularity in the punk rock era, when they were commonly used for the release of new material, e.g. Buzzcocks' ''Spiral Scratch'' EP, which featured four tracks.

Beginning in the 1980s, many so-called "singles" have been sold in formats with more than two tracks. Because of this, the definition of an EP is not determined only by the number of tracks or the playing time; an EP is typically seen as four (or more) tracks of equal importance, as opposed to a four-track single with an obvious A-side and three B-sides.

In the United Kingdom, any record with more than four distinct tracks or with a playing time of more than 25 minutes is classified as an album for sales-chart purposes.

An intermediate format between EPs and full-length LPs is the Mini-LP, which was a common album format in the 1980s. These generally contained 20–30 minutes of music.

Anomalies

Some artists, especially in the days of vinyl records, have released full-length albums that could fit the definition of a modern-day EP. Bob Dylan's ''Nashville Skyline'', Slayer's ''Reign In Blood'', Selena Gomez's ''A Year Without Rain'', Miranda Cosgrove's ''Sparks Fly'', and Weezer's ''The Green Album'', Woe, Is Me's ''Number[s]'', Born of Osiris' ''The New Reign'' and especially Pinhead Gunpowder's ''Carry the Banner'' are all not considered EPs even though they fall short of half an hour in length. Conversely, there are EPs that are long enough to be albums. Marilyn Manson's ''Smells Like Children'', which is 54 minutes long, is an example. Another is Radiohead's compilation ''COM LAG (2plus2isfive)'', which is 36 minutes long with ten tracks and Arcade Fire's ''Arcade Fire EP'' which is 33 minutes long . This is particularly the case with the rare double EP, which contains two discs. The five-track ''Tulimyrsky EP'' by Finnish Viking metal band Moonsorrow is counted as an EP even though it clocks in at 1:08:18 (the title track alone is 30 minutes long) simply because it contains two cover versions; "For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Metallica and "Back To North" by Merciless. Even longer examples are the CDEPs released by another Finnish band, the doom metal act Reverend Bizarre, whose 2003 ''Harbinger of Metal'' clocks at 1:14:01 and 2004 ''Return to the Rectory'' at 01:05:39 (enhanced with a video of their hit "Doom over the World", which adds 5:25 to the total running time). Like Moonsorrow five years later, Reverend Bizarre too argued that these releases are called EPs because they consist of only a few proper songs and include covers. More importantly, Reverend Bizarre stated that they had both the chronology and most of the songs of their all full-length albums planned beforehand, so these additional releases could not be anything else but EPs. The band The Mars Volta had to divide the final 32-minute track, "Cassandra Gemini", of their five-track album ''Frances the Mute'' into eight semi-arbitrary sections so the band would be paid an album's wages rather than an EP's.. Another rare occurrence came with Attack Attack!'s debut EP ''If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?'' having 9 songs and being 30 minutes in length, being seconds longer than their debut album Someday Came Suddenly, whilst sometimes, a band can release both an EP and a studio album with the same amount of tracks, such as Radiohead who released ''My Iron Lung'' and ''The King of Limbs'', which are EPs and studio albums respectively.

There are also some EPs which are even shorter than the standard single. It has become customary in recent years for new bands to release their first release nominally as an "EP" to give it grander connotations than a mere "single". By giving the release a unique name (as opposed to naming it after the lead track on the CD) the band can garner more attention for the other tracks on the CD. Arctic Monkeys, for example, called their first release ''Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys'' rather than ''Fake Tales of San Francisco'' (the first track on the CD). In doing this, they put the second track "From The Ritz to the Rubble" in the limelight as well. Thus, ''Five Minutes With Arctic Monkeys'' is more akin to a double-A side than a standard EP. Similar releases by other new bands could be described as "triple-A sides" or even "quadruple-A sides".

The 7-inch EP in punk rock

left|thumb | alt=7-inch EP|The 7-inch EP is often issued in colors as seen in this example.The first recordings released by many punk rock bands were released in 7-inch EP format, mainly because the short song nature of the genre made it difficult to create sufficient material to fill an LP. Many such bands also were unsigned, or signed to a minor record label that did not have the funds to release a full length album, particularly by newly formed bands. As many record stores would not sell demo tapes, the 7-inch EP became a standard release for punk rock bands, who could sell them cheaply nationwide, and thus be heard beyond the areas where they performed. These records would vary in length, having anywhere from two to ten or more songs (four being somewhat of a standard), and occasionally recorded at 33 rpm to lengthen running time (outside of punk rock many people refer to any 7-inch record as a "45", as it has been the standard speed for such records). Some of these recordings would qualify as singles, although this term was sometimes eschewed as being a mainstream design for determining commercial airplay, which did not apply to the vast majority of such bands. The term "single" also had a way of being somewhat dismissive of any tracks other than the primary one, relegating them to B-sides, when many bands, having a 7-inch record as their most significant release, would put all their best songs on the recording. Using the term EP in such cases would be considered technically incorrect, as they were not "extended", and the term ''7-inch'' became a standard. For bands that went on to achieve commercial success, it was often customary for the original EP tracks to be released later on full-length albums, or to be somehow re-issued in another format.

The split 7-inch EP has also been a widespread feature in the genre, in which two bands would release such a record together, each performing on one side. This was a way to cut costs, particularly for self-released EPs, and was often used as a way for a more established band to help promote a promising newer act. Alternately, two bands with friendly relations with each other would release split EPs together. In some countries, split EPs are also used by major record labels to promote two new albums by wholly different artists, usually in the form of radio promos.

In cases where a band has too much content to fit on a 7-inch platter, but not enough for an LP, 10-inch and 12-inch records were utilized, usually at the 45 rpm speed more popular among dance music. Some more modern punk bands have also put out novelty 5-inch records, though due to a very short playing time and higher production cost than 7-inch discs, they are rare and usually utilized by bands with extremely fast songs.

Jukebox EP

In the 1960s and 1970s, record companies released EP versions of long play (LP) albums for use in jukeboxes. These were commonly known as "compact 33s" or "little LPs". They played at 33⅓ rpm, were pressed on 7-inch vinyl and frequently had as many as six songs. What made them EP-like was the fact that some songs were omitted for time purposes, and the tracks deemed the most popular were left on. Unlike most EPs before them, and most 7-inch vinyl in general (pre-1970s), these were issued in stereo.

See also

Concept EP

Double EP

Extra Long Play (VCR format)

Gramophone record

Long Play

List of number-one EPs (UK)

References

Category:Album types Category:Audio storage Category:Recorded music

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George Van Eps (7 August 1913 – 29 November 1998) (often called "the Father of the Seven String Guitar") was an American swing and Mainstream jazz guitarist noted both for his recordings as a leader, and for his work as a session musician. He was also the author of instructional books that explored his approach to guitar-based harmony. He was well known as a pioneer of the seven-string guitar, which allowed him to incorporate sophisticated bass lines into his improvisation. He was a strong influence on later seven-string players such as Howard Alden (with whom he recorded four CDs for Concord Records in the early 1990s), Bucky Pizzarelli, and John Pizzarelli (Bucky's son). He is the son of the legendary classic banjo player Fred Van Eps.

External links

GVE on Myspace

A biography at playjazzguitar.com

A biography at classicjazzguitar.com

Gibson Guitar's short posthumous article on the life of George Van Eps

Video clip of George Van Eps playing a solo version of "I've Got A Crush On You"

Gretsch Van Eps signature guitars

Category:American jazz guitarists Category:Swing guitarists Category:Mainstream jazz guitarists Category:Seven-string guitarists Category:1913 births Category:1998 deaths

de:George Van Eps pt:George Van Eps

name	Howard Alden
landscape	yes
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
born	October 17, 1958Newport Beach, California, United States
origin	New York City
instrument	Guitar, tenor banjo
genre	Jazz
occupation	Musician
years active	1973–present
label	Concord, Arbors Records
website	www.howardalden.com
notable instruments	}}

Howard Alden (born October 17, 1958) is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. He has recorded a long series of albums for Concord Records. His performances were dubbed over Sean Penn as 'Emmet Ray' in the 1999 Woody Allen film ''Sweet and Lowdown''. Howard has recorded four albums with seven-string guitar innovator George Van Eps.

Biography

Early life

Howard Alden was born in Newport Beach, California in 1958. He began playing the 4-string tenor guitar and banjo at age ten. After hearing recordings of Barney Kessel, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt and other jazz guitar greats, he got a six-string guitar and started teaching himself to play that as well. As a teenager he played both instruments at various venues in the Los Angeles area. He studied guitar with Jimmy Wyble when he was 16. By 1977 he was studying jazz guitar at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, California with Howard Roberts.

Career

Alden made his first trip to the east coast in the summer of 1979, playing in a trio led by the legendary vibist Red Norvo for 3 months at Resorts International in Atlantic City. Alden moved to New York City in 1982 to play an extended engagement at the Café Carlyle with jazz pianist/songwriter Joe Bushkin. Soon afterward, he was discovered by Joe Williams and Woody Herman. In 1983 he was already collaborating with Dick Hyman, when he appeared with him and a host of other musicians at Eubie Blake's one-hundredth birthday concert. In 1988 Alden signed with Concord Jazz record label, and recorded many albums with them over the following fifteen years as a bandleader and as a sideman.

Personal life

Alden lives in Manhattan.

Other endeavors

He taught actor Sean Penn to play guitar for his role as the legendary (but fictional) jazz guitarist "Emmett Ray" in the Woody Allen film "Sweet and Lowdown". Alden also performed most of the music for the film along with Bucky Pizzarelli on rhythm guitar, with the music arranged by pianist Dick Hyman.

Awards

1990 - "Best Emerging Guitar Talent" poll winner in JazzTimes

1992 - "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" from Down Beat

1993 - "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" from Down Beat

1995 - "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" from Down Beat

1996 - "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" from Down Beat

2008 - Recognized as one of the "Top 75 Guitarists" by Down Beat

Discography

{| Class="wikitable"|width=100% |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" !align="center" valign="bottom" width="60"|Year !align="center" vallign="bottom" width="230"|Album !align="center" valign="bottom" width="50"|Leader !align="center" valign="bottom" width="120"|Label |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1985 |align="left" valign="top"|"No Amps Allowed" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden & Jack Lesberg |align="left" valign="top"|Chiaroscuro |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1986 |align="left" valign="top"|"Swing Street" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1988 |align="left" valign="top"|"Swinging Into Prominence" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Famous Door |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1988 |align="left" valign="top"|"Plays the Music of Harry Reser" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Stomp Off |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1989 |align="left" valign="top"|"The Howard Alden Trio Plus Special Guests Ken Peplowski & Warren Vache" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1989 |align="left" valign="top"|"The ABQ Salutes Buck Clayton" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden & Dan Barrett |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1990 |align="left" valign="top"|"Snowy Morning Blues" w/ Monty Alexander |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1991 |align="left" valign="top"|"13 Strings" w/ George Van Eps |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1991 |align="left" valign="top"|"Misterioso" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1991 |align="left" valign="top"|"Hand-Crafted Swing" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden & George Van Eps |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1992 |align="left" valign="top"|"Good Likeness" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1993 |align="left" valign="top"|"Seven & Seven" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden & George Van Eps |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1994 |align="left" valign="top"|"Keepin' Time" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden & George Van Eps |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1994 |align="left" valign="top"|"Your Story: The Music of Bill Evans" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1994 |align="left" valign="top"|"Encore! Live at Centre Concord" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden & Ken Peplowski |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1995 |align="left" valign="top"|"Concord Jazz guitar Collective" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden, Frank Vignola & Jimmy Bruno |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1996 |align="left" valign="top"|"Take Your Pick" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|2001 |align="left" valign="top"|"The Jazz KENnection" |align="left" valign="top"|Kenny Davern & Ken Peplowski |align="left" valign="top"|Arbors Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|2001 |align="left" valign="top"|"Live In Belfast" |align="left" valign="top"|Frank Tate |align="left" valign="top"|Nagel-Heyer |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|2002 |align="left" valign="top"|"My Shining Hour" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|2003 |align="left" valign="top"|"In A Mellow Tone" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden & Bucky Pizzarelli |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|2004 |align="left" valign="top"|"Live In '95" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden & Dan Barrett |align="left" valign="top"|Concord Jazz |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|2005 |align="left" valign="top"|"Everything I Love" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden & Dave Cliff |align="left" valign="top"|Zephyr Records |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|2006 |align="left" valign="top"|"Howard Alden's UK 4 Live at Lewes" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden |align="left" valign="top"|Woolf Notes |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|2006 |align="left" valign="top"|"Maurice Hines: To Nat King Cole With Love" |align="left" valign="top"|Maurice Hines |align="left" valign="top"|Arbors Records |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|2006-05-08 |align="left" valign="top"|"Dialogues" |align="left" valign="top" align="center"|w/ Kenny Davern |align="left" valign="top"|Arbors Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|2007 |align="left" valign="top"|"Howard Alden and Ken Peplowski's Pow-Wow" |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Alden and Ken Peplowski |align="left" valign="top"|Arbors Records |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|2010 |align="left" valign="top"|"I Remember Django" |align="left" valign="top" align="center"|Howard Alden - featuring Anat Cohen & Warren Vaché |align="left" valign="top"|Arbors Records |}

References

External links

Howard Alden Official site

Category:Swing guitarists Category:Mainstream jazz guitarists Category:American jazz guitarists Category:Seven-string guitarists Category:1958 births Category:Living people

de:Howard Alden es:Howard Alden fr:Howard Alden sv:Howard Alden

name	Brandon Jennings
team	Milwaukee Bucks
number	3
position	Point guard
height ft	6
height in	1
weight lb	169
nationality	American
birth date	September 23, 1989
birth place	Compton, California
draft round	1
draft pick	10
draft year	2009
draft team	Milwaukee Bucks
high school	Dominguez HS (Compton, California)Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
career start	2008
years1	2008–2009 | team1 Lottomatica Roma (Italy)
years2	–present | team2 Milwaukee Bucks
highlights	NBA All-Rookie First Team () Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2008) }}

Brandon Jennings (born September 23, 1989 in Compton, California) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays at point guard.

Jennings was a highly acclaimed high school player, averaging 32.7 points and 7.4 assists as a senior, and won all major player of the year awards in his senior year. After graduating from Oak Hill Academy, he decided to play professional basketball with the Italian club Lottomatica Roma instead of playing collegiately for the University of Arizona Wildcats, leading to controversy and debate on the NBA's "prep-to-pro" policy adopted in 2006. After a year in Italy, Jennings declared for the 2009 NBA Draft and was selected 10th overall by the Bucks.

Early life

Brandon Jennings was born to Alice Knox. He has a brother named Terrence Phillips.

High school

Jennings attended Dominguez High School in Compton, California for his freshman and sophomore year. Before his junior year, Jennings transferred to powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. In his last year of high school, Jennings averaged 32.7 points, 7.4 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game and set the school record for points in a season. This performance earned him some of high school basketball’s most prestigious awards: the 2008 Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, 2007–08 Gatorade Player of the Year (Virginia), 2008 Parade Magazine Player of the Year and 2008 EA Sports Player of the Year. He led his 2006–2007 team to a 41–1 record and the top ranking in the ''USA Today'' Super 25 list of high school teams. He was rated as the nation's #1 high school basketball prospect in the class of 2008 by Scout.com, the #1 prospect in the ESPNU 150, and the #4 prospect by Rivals.com.

College plans

In August 2006, he chose to attend USC. On April 24, 2007, he decided instead to join the University of Arizona Wildcats, citing Arizona's quality academic faculty and his desire to play with Jerryd Bayless. (Bayless left after one season to enter the 2008 NBA Draft.) In November 2007, SLAM Magazine’s third edition of PUNKS featured Jennings on the cover along with three other top-rated high school guards (Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Lance Stephenson).

In June 2008, Jennings attended the premiere of Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch's basketball movie ''Gunnin' For That #1 Spot'' at the Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem. Also attending were Kevin Love, Lance Stephenson, Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez, DJ Augustin, and Adam Yauch. The film follows eight top high school players—including Jennings—from their hometowns to NYC, for the 2006 Elite 24 at Rucker Park.

In June 2008, Jennings announced that he was considering becoming the first American to skip college to play professionally in Europe. The NBA requires players to be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school before entering the league, meaning that Jennings could not enter the 2008 NBA draft. Jennings declared that his goal was to play in the NBA and that playing overseas instead of at an American college could be his best route to gain experience and make money until he was eligible to join the NBA.

Italian career

On July 16, 2008, Jennings signed with Lottomatica Roma of the Italian Lega A. The contract he signed with Roma was for $1.65 million net income guaranteed and after earning the contract with Lottomatica, Under Armour gave Jennings a $2 million contract to showcase their products in the Euroleague. Jennings was the first player to play for a European team rather than play for a college basketball team since the NBA's age restriction rule was implemented.

In the Italian Lega A 2008-09 season, Jennings averaged in 27 games, 5.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals in 17.0 minutes per game. He shot 35.1 percent from the field and 20.7 percent from 3 point range in Lega A play. In 16 Euroleague games, Jennings averaged 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 19.6 minutes per game. In the Euroleague he shot 38.7 percent from the field and 26.8 percent from 3 point range.

NBA career

2009 NBA Draft

Jennings was selected tenth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2009 NBA Draft. He became the first player who skipped college to play professional basketball in Europe to be drafted by an NBA team. Jennings also made a notable appearance at the draft. He had initially decided not to attend the draft and preferred to be at a family function during the draft. After he was drafted by the Bucks, he left the family function and headed to Madison Square Garden. He later came out on stage after the 14th pick was announced to have his picture taken with NBA commissioner David Stern, just like all drafted players who attend the draft.

Rookie season

During Jennings's NBA regular season debut on October 30, 2009, against the Philadelphia 76ers, Jennings recorded 17 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and hit 2 three-point shots, just shy of a triple-double, and played 34 minutes. In his second game, on October 31, 2009, against the Detroit Pistons, also the debut in Bradley Center, Jennings scored 16 points during the third quarter and a team-high 24 points for the game to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their first victory of the 2009–10 regular season.

On November 14, 2009, after a scoreless first quarter, Jennings scored 29 points in the 3rd quarter against Golden State en route to a total of 55 points in the game to break the team record for most points by a rookie previously set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1970. Jennings's performance was the most points scored by a rookie since Earl "The Pearl" Monroe scored 56 in 1968. He became the youngest player to ever score 55, collecting the second-highest total for a player under 21, behind only LeBron James's 56 points in March 2005, and the second-most points scored by a Milwaukee Buck (behind Michael Redd's 57 in 2006). On February 2, 2010, he was selected to compete in the Skills Challenge.

2010–11 season

On October 30, 2010, Jennings recorded his first ever triple double, with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Charlotte Bobcats. On December 15, 2010, Jennings broke his left foot against the San Antonio Spurs when he came down awkwardly on his ankle. Despite the injury, he played 30 minutes the following game against the Jazz. The team later confirmed that Jennings would miss the next four to six weeks as he recovered from surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot. He had been averaging 18.7 points per game before the injury. Jennings missed a total of 19 games with the injury before returning on January 29, 2011 in a 91-81 home victory over the New Jersey Nets.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 82 || 82 || 32.6 || .371 || .374 || .817 || 3.4 || 5.7 || 1.3 || .2 || 15.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 63 || 61 || 34.4 || .390 || .323 || .809 || 3.7 || 4.8 || 1.5 || .3 || 16.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 145 || 143 || 33.4 || .379 || .352 || .813 || 3.6 || 5.3 || 1.4 || .3 || 15.8

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009-10 | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 7 || 7 || 35.6 || .408 || .293 || .808 || 3.0 || 3.6 || 1.1 || .6 || 18.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 7 || 7 || 35.6 || .408 || .293 || .808 || 3.0 || 3.6 || 1.1 || .6 || 18.7

Awards

2005 Press Telegram Freshmen Player of the Year

Named the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Les Schwab Invitational Tournament

Co-MVP of the 2007 Elite 24 Hoops Classic (with Tyreke Evans)

2007 Las Vegas Easter Classic Most Valuable Player

2007 NBAPS Top 100 High School Camp Best Playmaker

2007 The Goazcats.com Showdown Most Valuable Player

2008 Naismith Male Player of the year

2007–08 Gatorade Player of the year Virginia

2008 Parade Magazine Player of the Year

2008 EA SPORTS National Player of the Year

2008 McDonald's All-American

2007–08 MaxPreps National Player of the Year

2008 Jordan Brand Classic Most Valuable Player for the East

No. 1 rated senior by ESPN (2008)

No. 1 rated senior by Van Coleman Hoopmaster (2008)

No. 1 rated senior by Clark Franics Hoopscoop (2007 and 2008)

No. 1 rated senior by Dave Telep Scout.com 2008

Eastern Conference NBA Rookie of the Month (Oct./Nov. 2009)

Eastern Conference NBA Rookie of the Month (Dec. 2009)

Eastern Conference NBA Rookie of the Month (Jan. 2010)

2009-10 NBA 1st Team All-Rookie (unanimous selection)

Records

NBA records

Youngest player in NBA history to score 50 or more points in a game

:* :*55, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Golden State Warriors,

Ranks 2nd in NBA history in:

Field goals made, quarter

:*12, third quarter, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Golden State Warriors, :*Tied with six other players who have made 12 field goals in a quarter :*NBA record is held by David Thompson, with 13

Milwaukee Bucks franchise records ''Rookie'' Points, game, rookie: 55, vs. Golden State Warriors, :*Tied with multiple players for 4th highest tally in NBA history by a rookie Field goals made, game, rookie: 21, vs. Golden State Warriors,

''Franchise'' Points, half: 45, second half, vs. Golden State Warriors, Points, quarter: 29, third quarter, vs. Golden State Warriors, Field goals made, half: 17, second half, vs. Golden State Warriors, Field goals made, quarter: 12, third quarter, vs. Golden State Warriors,

Charity

After an earthquake in Italy while he was playing there in April 2009, Jennings donated $50,000 to support victims.

Jennings participated in Steve Nash's Showdown in Chinatown charity soccer match in New York City on June 24, 2010.

References

External links

Brandon's Official Website

NBA.com Profile

Profile on Rivals.com

Profile on Scout.com

Brandon Jennings News

High school hoops star struggles abroad: Picking Italy over college starts to backfire for Jennings

Category:1989 births Category:American basketball players Category:American expatriate basketball people in Italy Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players from California Category:Basketball players from Virginia Category:Living people Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Compton, California Category:Sportspeople from Los Angeles, California Category:Point guards Category:Pallacanestro Virtus Roma players Category:Milwaukee Bucks players

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