Jeff Meegan and David Tobin have made a career out of proving that swing never really went away, and with their new album Keep On Movin’, recorded live at Abbey Road’s legendary Studio 2, the Emmy- and BAFTA-affiliated duo remind us that the big band tradition still knows how to dazzle. Working alongside ace arrangers Callum Au, Martin Williams, and Charley Harrison, they’ve built a brass-soaked love letter to the Great American Songbook, while keeping the edges sharp enough for modern ears. With powerhouse turns from Sara Niemietz, Steve Memmolo, and Meegan himself, the project is as much a joyful revival as it is a contemporary statement. As Tobin himself puts it, this is “serious fun,” swing for the here and now.
The opener, “Who’d Have Believed,” sets the mood with glamorous horn blasts layered in funky flourishes. Sara Niemietz steps into the spotlight, her voice thick with vintage charisma, singing with a zest that makes the whole track feel like a champagne toast at midnight. She belts about the euphoria of dancing with someone magnetic, and the arrangement spins with pure exhilaration. Jumping forward, the title track “Keep On Movin’” begins with the snap of fingers and Niemietz again working in a smoky, low register, cool, confident, and sly. As the horns pump in and the drums tumble beneath, the whole thing builds into a strutting anthem, a reminder to keep swinging no matter what. Later, “The Thirst” slows the pace without losing the groove, carried by a resonant, earnest, and commanding vocal from Meegan. His deep, soulful delivery rides atop rumbling beats and a wall of horns that crest and fall with the intensity of a live stage show.
Altogether, Keep On Movin’ proves that when swing is played this well, it never goes out of style.
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Review by: Naomi Joan