Eastbound is an original jazz composition by saxophonist and composer Matt Zebley. Written in a 24-bar AAB form, the tune follows a compact structure in which two repeated A sections establish the melodic and harmonic foundation before a contrasting B section provides resolution. The AAB layout, shorter than the typical 32-bar standard, gives the piece a focused, propulsive quality well suited to its title's suggestion of forward motion and travel. Zebley, a Berklee College of Music and USC graduate who went on to earn a Grammy Award as a member of the Brian Setzer Orchestra in 2001, composed Eastbound as part of a body of original work that spans hard-swinging pieces, lyrical ballads, and freely improvised explorations. The tune appeared on his 1998 album Live at Moondog, recorded with a group that included Alan Ferber on trombone and Ron Stout on trumpet. In that performance, Eastbound serves as a vehicle for extended improvisation across the horn section, with solos from Zebley on alto saxophone, Ferber, and Stout. The composition remains closely associated with Zebley's own groups and has not entered wide circulation in the broader jazz repertoire, functioning as a representative example of his writing for small ensemble during his early career as a bandleader in the late 1990s.
