Of course, those fragments can have jagged edges. Unlike a bartender, who is expected to at least feign interest in the tales told by his regulars, a taxi driver is rarely used as a sounding board. Yet he is still privy to explosive confessions and earsplitting breakups, office gossip after work and whiskey-induced phone calls before dawn.

Cable reality shows aside, whom would a cabdriver ever tell?

Mr. Wilson’s 37-minute piece, called “9Y40,” after the medallion number of the taxi he used during the recordings, draws on a four-week period spent driving on the 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift. It includes an observation on fashion trends (“antlers are so hot right now”), introspection from a bachelor (“I am extremely datable and extremely interesting, but I wouldn’t actually date myself”) and a woman’s insistence that her sister is too well-liked.

“Kelly’s not miserable and alone,” the woman said, slurring slightly. “She has a wonderful husband; she has friends. That’s what’s sick.”

There is also a good deal of profanity.

What is not certain is whether Mr. Wilson’s recordings were obtained legally. Though New York is a so-called one-party consent state — conversations can be lawfully recorded if only one party is aware of the device — legal experts say Mr. Wilson’s interactions with his passengers may not constitute conversations. He often took pains to remain silent, he said, letting his riders riff without provocation.

Before presenting his work, Mr. Wilson sought the counsel of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, he said. He was told that while passengers who heard their voices in the piece could sue to prevent him from using the recording, he was unlikely to face serious liability.