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Sanz wins 4 awards at Latin Grammys
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-09-02 11:26

Latin Grammy favorite Alejandro Sanz won four awards and Brazilian jazz songstress Maria Rita collected two Wednesday at a ceremony aimed at uniting Spanish- and Portugese-language music with the flash and sizzle of American pop.

Sanz won the male pop vocal album award and album of the year for "No Es Lo Mismo" and took home song of the year and record of the year trophies for writing and performing the album's title track.

The Spanish crooner, who has previously received seven Latin Grammys and one Grammy, was touring and did not attend the evening's festivities.

Many household names took a back seat among the multiple nominees as Rita and Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes totaled four bids each. Rita won best new artist and best Musica Popular Brasileira Album for "Maria Rita," which was also nominated for album of the year.

"When I was little I used to watch the Grammys with the family and we all knew how important it was to all the artists involved. I'm one of you now," she told the audience after winning her second honor.

Songwriter Milton Nascimento won the best Brazilian song award for writing her song "A Festa," which had been nominated for record of the year.

Valdes won for his collaboration with flamenco singer Diego El Cigala in the traditional tropical album category for "Lagrimas Negras."

The Cuban exile Valdes said he would not use his win as a means to comment on his homeland's politics. "The music is art. My politics are private," the 85-year-old said backstage. "It's been 24 years since I go to my country."

The entertainment portion of the show offered glitzy, often power-packed displays of music from a number of performers.

Spanish flamenco-singer David Bisbal kicked off the broadcast with a flashy dance number, then sang a romantic power-ballad duet with pop princess Jessica Simpson — she in English, he in Spanish — while they hung in each other's arms and sang face to face.

Other highlights included a collaboration featuring the hard-rock band Incubus and the Mexican rock/hip-hop group Cafe Tacuba, which won best alternative music album for "Cuatro Caminos."

The show featured another joint performance of Tex-Mex brothers Los Lonely Boys and veteran rocker Carlos Santana, who was named the Latin Grammy person of the year on Monday. Santana and Los Lonely Boys offered up a stirring rendition of the late Ritchie Valens' 1950s Spanish rock 'n' roll anthem "La Bamba."

Among other winners, Jimmy Gonzalez and Grupo Mazz won best Tejano album for "Live En El Valle," while Los Tigres Del Norte collected the Norteno album prize for "Pacto De Sangre."

Meanwhile, Skank's "Cosmotron" was picked best Brazilian rock album, classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma's "Obrigado Brazil: Live in Concert" collected best instrumental album, and the late Celia Cruz's "Regalo Del Alma" received best salsa album.

Robi Draco Rosa won best music video for "Mas y Mas," while Rosario's "Del Mel Colores" was honored as best female vocal album. Vincento and Alejandro Fernandez earned best Ranchero album for "En Vivos Juntos Por Ultima Vez."

Comedian George Lopez, star of the ABC sitcom "The George Lopez Show," was host of the fifth annual awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium and first appeared onstage riding a white horse while wearing a Mariachi band outfit and sombrero.

CBS bleeped one of his jokes when Lopez said he understood that President George W. Bush speaks some Spanish. He then uttered some of the language in a phrase that, politely translated, means: "Don't lie to me." In English, he joked that it meant: "Good luck in your future endeavors."



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