At 65, pianist Cecil Taylor is a lion in early winter, writes Howard Mandel. In this exclusive New York interview, one of the pioneers of black freedom expands on his ideas of music sonic architecture, spiritual intake and bodily transcendence. this article originally appeared in The Wire 124 (June 1994).

On the streets and in the subways of New York, the spirit of black free jazz lives on in the music of a few true believers – musicians like Charles Gayle; homeless, neglected but still burning with the passion to be free. By Howard Mandel. This article originally appeared in The Wire 121 (March 1994).

Of all the free spirits making up New York’s downtown artistic nexus, pianist Matthew Shipp has come closest to finding the superchord that will blast conventional harmonies wide open. By Howard Mandel. This article first appeared in The Wire 168 (February 1998).

Pioneering free jazz drummer and Coltrane sideman Rashied Ali talks to Howard Mandel in New York about the rudiments of life, music and rhythm. This article originally appeared in The Wire 98 (April 1992).

Prime time and the great quartet; an exclusive report on the recording of Ornette: In All Languages. This article originally appeared in The Wire 40 (June 1987).