A. M. Okun

Le più recenti previsioni riguardo la Malattia di Parkinson sono impressionanti. Se accurate, i numeri suggeriscono di svegliarsi rapidamente, e rendersi conto che siamo sull’orlo di una incipiente pandemia. Spaventa considerare che nelle nazioni più popolose, il numero di parkinsoniani raddoppierà fino all’incirca a 30 milioni per l’anno 2030. Queste statistiche in progressiva crescita possono sembrare incredibili, ma sono reali, e sono sup-portate da una popolazione in continuo invecchiamento.

„John Denver wasn't merely hot during the mid-'70s; he was omnipresent on radio, TV, and on-stage for anyone who'd have him. Certainly, few artists enjoyed more than one greatest-hits collection – even if critics derided him as a granola-munching, tree-hugging folky who perennially smiled through life's hardships. But the reality of Denver's music is more complicated; behind the lush orchestration and gentle fingerpicking lies a more somber, contemplative side. In this respect, "Fly Away"'s lament about city pressures could be considered his answer to the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby." "Like a Sad Song" and "I'm Sorry" apologize to forsaken lovers.

Barbra Streisand…And Other Musical Instruments (also called And Other Musical Instruments) is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 2, 1973 by Columbia Records. The album was made available following a 1973 live television special promoted to improve Streisand's image and sound. With world music as the primary genre, the album's instrumentation varies greatly; even items such as kitchen utensils were used to create melodies and beats. With a majority of the songs on the album being cover songs, Streisand also re-recorded various tracks that originated earlier in her career. Her manager, Martin Erlichman, was credited as the album's sole and executive producer.

1959 saw the release of Harry Belafonte's landmark concert recording at Carnegie Hall, one of the most artistically and commercially successful live albums ever. Belafonte returned to Carnegie Hall in 1960, and released a second live album in much the same mold as the first. Surprisingly–or perhaps not so surprisingly given Belafonte's endless talent and charisma—„Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall Live“ is almost as wonderful as its predecessor.

One Russian equivalent of “outside the box”, as 41-year-old Moscow-based drummer Alexander “Sasha” Mashin titles his debut leader recording, is the phrase мыслить нетрадиционно (myslit' netraditsionno-“think unconventionally”). Both the literal and metaphorical usages apply to Mashin’s intentions on this kinetic date, on which he and his pianist and bassist of choice propel the flow for separate sets of original music by two of Russia’s most distinguished jazz exports — New York-based trumpeter Alexander Sipiagin and London-based alto saxophonist Evegeny “Zhenya” Strigalev. Call it global jazz with a Russian attitude.