This self-taught guitarist learned to play on a toy guitar, listening to George Benson, Wes Montgomery and Charlie Christian records. He has collaborated with many musical greats such as Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr., Ron Carter, Dianne Reeves, and Jimmy Smith, who introduced him to a much wider audience. Although he's comfortable playing a range of styles, Malone really shines when playing bebop, swing, and cool jazz. In 2006, he recorded the first of two albums, Live at Jazz Standard Vol. 1, releasing the second volume the following year. Mixing standards with original material, Triple Play came out in 2010.