"He's up there with Monk and Mingus as one of the best tune writers I've ever heard," says Robert Wyatt, another guest.
The immaculate logic of his improvised melodies, full of rhythmic surprises and virtuosic turns, influenced show-tune writers, jazz composers, big band arrangers and tap dancers.
He always seemed to tune into another writer's intentions, and he was generous with his praise.
Some writers tune into talk radio.
The song "Alone Yet Not Alone" from the movie of the same name was stripped of its Oscar nomination by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences because of lobbying by the tune's writer, Bruce Broughton.
Louis Adamic is the forgotten Boswell of early Los Angeles, perhaps the first writer to tune himself into the then-youthful city and report back.
It's a fitting metaphor for the job of the writer, tuning in to the many voices of those with stories to tell, and then letting them speak for themselves.
Apparently, seasoned writers learn to tune out the commenters, and, as I get the opportunity to write for websites with more readers and active comment sections, I've learned to do the same.
But it's also a clue to how well tuned in the writers are to the echt voice of Partridge.
The key, the Chadwick founder tells us, is that users can tune into either the subdued narrative of a national sports writer or the more effusive live-tweeting from a local sports writer.
What do writers do when they can no longer "tune in" to their inner voice?
