The idea of the "Three Albums" project is to ask musicians to pick some albums they want to talk about, with no other instructions. I tell them they can be any three albums, three they've been listening to, their three favorites of all time, three they don't even like but inspire interesting discussion, whatever.

After a long hiatus (we had a kid), the three albums project is back with Fox Valley drummer extraordinaire, Mike Malone, premium hustler, leader of the Pocket Kings and co-leader of the Water City Jazz Orchestra. You can check out his YouTube channel, where he creates weekly videos for, in his words, "people who enjoy the nerdy side of drums."

Mike's introduction: "Three albums that I always find myself coming back to..."

1. Frank Sinatra and the Count Basie Orchestra - Sinatra at the Sands

Mike: This is like the ultimate convergence of big band greats. Frank Sinatra on vocals, the Count Basie Orchestra backing him up, and Quincy Jones tying them together as arranger. Also, I have the utmost respect for live albums and the raw energy they capture.

Paul: Yeah, hit after hit on this one. Two questions: Sonny Payne is obviously a great choice, but is he your favorite big band drummer? If he's not, who is? And second, do you think you generally prefer live albums, or is it just a different experience?

MM: Sonny Payne is definitely up there on the Mount Rushmore of big band drummers, and I'm a huge fan. He's probably my second favorite Basie drummer after Harold Jones (who most famously played on Basie - Straight Ahead). Aside from those two, one of my other favorite big band drummers also plays on Sinatra at the Sands, the criminally underrated Irv Cottler. He plays on a ton of Sinatra's albums and is a really great reminder of how important it is to serve the song and always keep the groove at the top.

2. Oscar Peterson Trio - West Side Story

MM: My desert island of piano trio records. Anything with Oscar's trio is a lesson in group playing as they are one of the tightest trios to ever play together. I also love when a group takes recognizable music and gives it their own twist and adds their personality to the arrangement. Obviously Oscar is a total force on the piano alone, but I've always felt like this group (with Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums) is better than the sum of its parts and all three of them are really masterful accompanists to each other.

PD: You're right that they do a great job of playing as a group here, and these are subtle but slickly done arrangements of very familiar music. I especially like how they arrange "I Feel Pretty." Do you have a favorite out of these?

MM: I think their version of "I Feel Pretty" has to be up there as one of my favorites on that album. It has so many great twists and turns with the arrangement, and puts each of them on display at different moments. I also think their version of "Tonight" is really special. Right at the top there's this great call and response, and it's just so locked in, groove-wise.

3. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'

MM: The quintessential hard bop group, and my favorite arrangement of members from the long line of Jazz Messengers musicians. I love how Art Blakey always sounds like he's in charge, even when he's just laying down a simple shuffle.

PD: A huge album for me as well, of course--this is peak Lee Morgan for a lot of people. (Personally I might lean toward the Wayne/Freddie Messengers lineup, but we're splitting hairs, here.) As someone who often leads gigs of your own, was there anything you took from Blakey in terms of being the guy who was leading the band but sitting behind the drums? Or do you even feel like you can notice that in the way the band plays?

MM: From a view beyond the music, I really love how Blakey developed musicians and had them cut their teeth in his band before going on to have highly successful solo careers. I really love how his band always had his "sound," but yet, his players have so much of their own personality at the same time. Benny Golson and Lee Morgan are two of my favorite voices from his group, but even as the band morphed and changed personnel I still feel like they have the core "Messengers" timbre.

I love band leading and coordinating, and as much as I love the moments where I get to be featured with a solo or arrangement, I think I get a lot more satisfaction from the sound of the group over any individual performance I have. I think drummers have to live that way to make a long career in this sort of field, because there's no solo drum gigs (for me at least), and you'll always need to be a team player in a group setting.

You can see Mike play anywhere and everywhere in the Fox Valley and beyond, including upcoming gigs with the Water City Jazz Orchestra at Becket's Battle of the Big Bands (Take 2) on September 26, with the WCJO in their monthly hit at Fletch's on September 29, with his trio Stuck On Blue at the Grand in Oshkosh on October 11, and when the Pocket Kings perform Michael Jackson's Thriller, also at the Grand, on Halloween night.