Although other jazz musicians had begun experimenting with improvising without preset conditions earlier, by the 1960s a growing community of artists began to perform and record using radically different stylistic rules Freeing themselves up from preset chord progressions, instrumental roles and other musical elements used in previous jazz styles, musicians such as Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor became associated with this avant garde style that became known as free jazz. At the same time, organizations such as the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the Black Artists Group began to sponsor performances and help like-minded musicians form groups to perform this new music.
This podcast covers some of the most influential artists of free jazz. You can download it in the link below and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes.
I like your explanation of the Cecil Taylor piece.