Free Radicals is an original jazz composition by saxophonist and composer Matt Zebley. Written in a 36-bar AABA form, the tune expands on the classic 32-bar AABA structure commonly found in the jazz standard repertoire by extending one or more of its sections, giving the piece additional harmonic and melodic space within each chorus. The AABA framework provides a familiar arc of statement, repetition, contrast at the bridge, and return, while the extra measures create room for the composition to develop its ideas more fully before resolving. The title evokes a sense of unpredictability and energetic independence, suggesting a composition that balances structured form with adventurous melodic or harmonic content. Zebley, a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the University of Southern California, received a Grammy Award in 2001 as a member of the Brian Setzer Orchestra and has performed with artists including Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys, and Wayne Shorter. He serves as Director of Jazz Studies at Diablo Valley College. Free Radicals appeared on his 1998 album Live at Moondog, where it featured solos from Zebley on alto saxophone, Ron Stout on trumpet, and Alan Ferber on trombone. The composition remains associated primarily with Zebley's own ensembles and has not entered broad circulation in the standard jazz repertoire.
