Wednesday October 31, 2001

LOS ANGELES - Spanish crooner Alejandro Sanz took four top Latin Grammy awards as the honors were revealed yesterday in a low-key announcement that replaced the show scuttled by the terrorist attacks.

Sanz's song and album "El Alma Al Aire" earned him record, album and song of the year, as well as best male vocalist.

Actor Jimmy Smits and comedian Paul Rodriguez announced the winners at the Conga Room club.

Smits and pop-singer Christina Aguilera were originally scheduled to host the second annual awards ceremony on Sept. 11, but the event was canceled after that morning's terrorist assaults that crashed four jetliners in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

Rocker Juanes, a Colombia native who was up for seven awards, won best new artist, rock solo vocal album and rock song for his hit "Fijate Bien" and the album of the same name.

The Latin Academy, part of the larger Recording Academy, which sponsors the main Grammy awards ceremony, tried to reschedule a prime-time ceremony but could not gather all the nominees back in one place.

The event earlier had shifted from Miami to Los Angeles three weeks before its scheduled broadcast because of concerns about protests from Cuban exiles in Florida who complained about the recognition given to performers from the communist island.

Other winners included Aguilera's Mi Reflejo for best female pop vocal album, Celia Cruz's Siempre Vivire for best traditional tropical album and the late Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri's Obra Maestra for best salsa album.