The Stereo Image
Join host Mike Jones as he discusses music in the lives of creative and interesting people! Mike talks 1-on-1 with the various people he has met as a jazz pianist and music director for Penn & Teller.
Music plays a part in how creative people are inspired, whether someone is an accomplished musician or just listened to their favorite album on repeat in school. With humor and curiosity, Mike talks music with some fascinating people!
Join host Mike Jones as he discusses music in the lives of creative and interesting people! Mike talks 1-on-1 with the various people he has met as a jazz pianist and music director for Penn & Teller.
Music plays a part in how creative people are inspired, whether someone is an accomplished musician or just listened to their favorite album on repeat in school. With humor and curiosity, Mike talks music with some fascinating people!
Episodes

Thursday Jan 22, 2026
Randy Pitchford: People have eclectic tastes in ways you might be surprised!
Thursday Jan 22, 2026
Thursday Jan 22, 2026
This week, Mike chats with Randy Pitchford. Randy owns Gearbox Software which produces the Borderlands game series among others. He is incredibly smart and insightful. Mike and Randy talk about the creative music kids are making these days and how it relates to the music earlier generations created. Randy grew up in a musical family and plays the piano himself. But that’s not all! Randy is also an accomplished magician and performer. It’s fascinating to hear his take on music from the perspective of a technical and creative visionary like him.
More info for this episode:
Peacock Theater of Frisco, Texas
Fleetwood Mac
Frank Sinatra
The Black Box
opera singer Timur
Tony Fitzpatrick
Magic Castle
Irma ghost piano player

Thursday Jan 08, 2026
Eric Mingus: "You had to be in the room to really appreciate that bass sound"
Thursday Jan 08, 2026
Thursday Jan 08, 2026
We are so excited to have Eric Mingus on this week’s episode! In fact, that Mike stammers through the first part of the episode because he’s so excited! Luckily he gets past that and he and Eric have a wonderful discussion about his own recent projects and a little about growing up as a member of jazz royalty with his dad Charles Mingus. Note: Occasionally you hear some dogs in the background. Eric was fostering a bunch of dogs when we talked. Mike's cat, Ella, gave her meow of approval.
Eric talks about his heritage and his experiences with music growing up. He shares his feelings on the experience of live acoustic instruments. He talks about his collaboration with Yoyo Ma. Through it all he’s a lovely guy!
More info for this episode:
The Mill - collaboration between Yoyo Ma and Eric Mingus
Hal Willner
Weird Nightmare (plays in YouTube)
Mingus Mill in North Carolina
Harry Smith Collection of folk music
Illinois Jacquet - Jumpin At Apollo
bassist Red Callender
Dimitri Toimkin
well-known phot with Monk, Charlie Parker, Roy Haines, Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus in the Library of Congress
Beneath the Underdog (Charles Mingus autobiography)
The Ertegun Brothers
bassist Gary Karr
guitarist Hubert Sumlin
pianist Don Pullen
Billy Gibbons guitarist in ZZ Top
Karen Mantler and My Cat Arnold
David Sandborn’s Night Music TV show (YouTube clips)
Michael Brecker
Jeff Friedman - Ellington Effect
Berklee College of Music
Susan Berk

Thursday Dec 18, 2025
Tim Jenison: building an analog recording studio in a digital world
Thursday Dec 18, 2025
Thursday Dec 18, 2025
Today we are excited to have Tim Jenison on the podcast. If we were looking for guests who would literally embody the name of this show, Tim would be the perfect guest. He is an inventor, filmmaker, musician, and amazing technician who’s current project is to build a recording studio using only analogue gear. He knows his tech and he knows his music too.
You might have heard of him from his Tim’s Vermeer documentary but I talk with him more about one of his latest projects. He’s building a recording studio near his home but he’s using only analog gear. It’s fascinating to hear about the challenges he’s facing and why people still look for that analog experience in todays digital world.
More info for this episode:
Tim's Vermeer (IMDB)
Monty Alexander
Shure 55 Elivs Mic (Wikipedia)
Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles (YouTube)
Bosendorfer Pianos
Weber Duo-Art Player Piano (YouTube)
Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces (YouTube)
Switched on Bach (YouTube)

The Stereo Image
Join host, Mike Jones, as he discusses how music fits into the lives of creative and interesting people. Every week, Mike sits down with a different guest to discuss what music they love and how it influences them. Each guest is notable in their own right but not necessarily for their music. We discuss what music has meant to them and their endeavors.









