Latin music ignored in the Grammy show

The best Latin music performance of Grammy night was by Jennifer Lopez.

How is that possible if she wasn't even there?

Lopez starred in a few commercials - one for female razors and another for stereo equipment that aired during the broadcast.

But the sad point is that Latin music was not given a featured spot in the three and a half hour show.

This was a major slight by the Grammys.

It also comes after the Grammys eliminated many categories in Latin music.

Latin jazz musicians protested outside the Grammys Sunday night, according to Billboard.

A Latino advocacy group, Presente.org, also is circulating a petition protesting the eliminated categories including Latin Jazz, regional Mexican, Banda, Tejano, and Norteño music.

Carlos Santana wrote a letter last year highlighting the categories eliminated in Latin jazz.

"Without Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, João Gilberto and countless others, there would be no Santana. These Latin Jazz artists helped launch and craft countless genres of American and World music and are just as vibrant today as they were at any other point in history. To remove Latin Jazz and many other ethnic categories is doing a huge disservice to the brilliant musicians who keep the music vibrant for their fans – new and old," Santana wrote, according to Elements of Jazz.

It's even more disturbing to see that Latin performers were virtually ignored by the Grammys, except for a performance by Bruno Mars, who is half Puerto Rican.

The Grammys gave so much air time to Chris Brown, a man who beat up Rihanna. His repeated appearances offended many people.

But they didn't highlight a single act in a Latin music category during the Grammys. The best they offered was a salsa step by New York Giant Victor Cruz.
Source: chicagonow