Jorge Moreno

The number 23 has followed singer-songwriter Jorge Moreno like a mystical star since the day he was born, April 23, 1975. And there it was again on the door of his Los Angeles hotel suite, Room 1723, like an omen on his arrival for this year's Latin Grammy ceremony. The seven also holds meaning for the creative Cuban American, who was competing for the prestigious best new artist award. Was the remaining number a sign he would win? Was he "The One"?

Jorge Moreno, Miami's most promising singer-songwriter, seems to have it all -- looks, personality, talent, an acclaimed 2001 debut album and a Latin Grammy as best new artist. So why can't he find an audience? The lamentably small group that turned out Friday for Moreno's show at the Conga Room discovered that the slender, shaggy-haired guitarist also has a compelling stage presence. This was his first L.A.

Jorge Moreno, Miami's most promising singer-songwriter, seems to have it all -- looks, personality, talent, an acclaimed 2001 debut album and a Latin Grammy as best new artist. So why can't he find an audience? The lamentably small group that turned out Friday for Moreno's show at the Conga Room discovered that the slender, shaggy-haired guitarist also has a compelling stage presence. This was his first L.A.

The number 23 has followed singer-songwriter Jorge Moreno like a mystical star since the day he was born, April 23, 1975. And there it was again on the door of his Los Angeles hotel suite, Room 1723, like an omen on his arrival for this year's Latin Grammy ceremony. The seven also holds meaning for the creative Cuban American, who was competing for the prestigious best new artist award. Was the remaining number a sign he would win? Was he "The One"?

Novice vocalist Jorge Moreno comes from the Nick at Nite generation, youngsters raised on reruns of such early television shows as "I Love Lucy." The Miami kid grew up and learned to download "Babalu" from Napster, using guerrilla technology to preserve and pass on the Afro-Cuban composition made famous by Desi Arnaz on the 1950s sitcom. Later this month, the 26-year-old Cuban American makes his own recording debut on Maverick Musica, the new Latin division of Madonna's Maverick label.

In the top Latin category, the race is anybody's guess, because all the nominees are newly emerging artists. Best Pop Album: Miami's Jorge Moreno's Latin Grammy as last year's best new artist makes him the likely winner, though Bacilos, a folksy Miami trio, and Sin Bandera, a smooth duet from Mexico, have strong publicity pushes behind them. The daring (and deserving) choice: Argentina's Diego Torres, whose "Color Esperanza" is an uplifting anthem for a troubled Latin America.

Investigators sifted through the charred remains of a Cuban airliner that plowed into a soccer field, searching Sunday for what caused the disaster that killed 80 people, including five children playing on the ground. Officials said they found one of the plane's "black box" flight recorders after 15 Cubans from the Cuban Institute for Aeronautics arrived to help in the investigation. The largest intact portion of the plane, the tail, was removed from the crash site.

For all the talk about global culture, pop music continues to be a relatively segregated pastime. On year-end top-10 lists for 2001, critics still skewed toward rock and rap and rumba, with remarkably little overlap. My list, for example, is entirely Latin. That may seem limited to some, but an entire musical universe falls under that umbrella. Salsa alone could consume a critic full time, not to mention other genres, from mariachi to rock en espanol.

A 51-year-old man was among six suspected drug traffickers arrested this week in connection with what agents described as one of California's largest narcotics rings. FBI agents arrested Jorge Moreno at his Capistrano Beach home, alleging that he distributed cocaine and marijuana in an operation headed by the Caro-Quintero organization , which authorities said is also responsible for numerous money-laundering and weapons violations.

Novice vocalist Jorge Moreno comes from the Nick at Nite generation, youngsters raised on reruns of such early television shows as "I Love Lucy." The Miami kid grew up and learned to download "Babalu" from Napster, using guerrilla technology to preserve and pass on the Afro-Cuban composition made famous by Desi Arnaz on the 1950s sitcom. Later this month, the 26-year-old Cuban American makes his own recording debut on Maverick Musica, the new Latin division of Madonna's Maverick label.

After several Colombian artists took home four Latin Grammys on Wednesday night, Colombian best new artist nominee Andres Cabas electrified the EMI Latin after-party at the House of Blues with a riveting 45-minute performance that demonstrated the 24-year-old singer-composer is here to stay. But more than an opportunity to showcase Cabas' inspiring Caribbean fusion songs, the night was historic for his homeland.

General Categories Record of the year: "Y Solo Se Me Ocurre Amarte," Alejandro Sanz (Humberto Gatica & Kenny O'Brien, producers; Chris Brooke, Humberto Gatica & Eric Shilling, engineers-mixers). Album of the year: "MTV Unplugged," Alejandro Sanz (Humberto Gatica & Kenny O'Brien, producers; Humberto Gatica, Eric Schilling & Chris Brooke, engineers-mixers). Song of the year: "Y Solo Se Me Ocurre Amarte," Alejandro Sanz, songwriter and artist. Best new artist: Jorge Moreno.