Instead, it’s up for two — album of the year and best tango album.

"People probably have to rub their eyes and say, ‘What, Ruben Blades in the tango category?’ I was
surprised because you never know about Grammy nominations. My album ‘Siembra,’ arguably the biggest
seller in the history of salsa, never got nominated for a Grammy," said the 66-year-old Blades, who
has won four Latin Grammys and six Grammys.

The Panamanian-born Blades says the nominations are affirmation of his belief that re-creating his salsa
songs as tangos would work, even though he had to use completely different phrasing in singing such
songs as "Paula C," ”Ligia Elena," and "Adan Garcia." His classic song,
"Pedro Navaja," inspired by "Mack the Knife," about the life and death of a
murderous street hustler, is done as a milonga, a slightly faster tango style.

"I felt that the instrumentation and the atmosphere that tango creates would make the lyrics more
relevant and stronger," Blades said.

"Salsa is action music, whereas in the tango you have space for reflection. There is something about
tango that is very emotional. The instruments — the violin, the bandoneon — evoke nostalgia, sadness,
opportunities lost and/or found. I always felt that some of my lyrics were shortchanged by the salsa
format" with its strong rhythms that got in the way.

Blades and his collaborator Carlos Franzetti began discussing the tangos project more than a decade ago,
but Blades put his entertainment career on hiatus to serve as Panama’s Minister of Tourism from
2004-2009.

Franzetti says the biggest challenge was to dissect Blades’ original songs and "mix the elements
into a new brew."

"Tango is a completely different genre than salsa: no constant rhythmic pulse, no percussion,
different melodies, harmonies and instrumentation," Franzetti said in an email. "I had to
apply all these tango elements to Ruben’s songs, mantaining their integrity while making them into
believable tangos and milongas."

"Tangos" reflects a genre-blending approach to music that Blades has dubbed
"mixtura."

Blades will soon be going into the studio to do a "rock en espanol" album, also including some
English-language songs he wrote with Lou Reed, with his new Paraiso Road Band that he formed with his
wife, singer Luba Mason, which he says will play an unpredictable mix from tango and salsa to jazz and
bluegrass.

"Mixtura" might also describe Blades’ diverse career paths that also include acting and
politics.

He resumed his acting career after leaving his government post, taking supporting roles in the Denzel
Washington film "Safe House" and the upcoming film "Hands of Stone," a biopic about
his friend, Panamanian boxing legend Roberto Duran, starring Venezuelan Edgar Ramirez and Robert De
Niro.

Blades says writing songs about social change compelled him to show he cares by taking an active role in
Panamanian politics. He’s put his entertainment career on hold for several years at a time to get a
master’s degree in international law from Harvard in the ’80s, form his own political party and run for
president in the ’90s, and then serve as Minister of Tourism.

He’s embarking on his final world salsa tour next year and plans to quit performing salsa except in
Panama by the end of 2016 and run for president as an independent candidate the following year if he
feels healthy.

Blades says his political experience — especially his role in developing Panamanian tourism — has made
him a better person.

"I’m more patient, less selfish and understand things better," said Blades. "The
experience has helped me tremendously as an artist because it eliminated a lot of anxieties … and my
spirit is stronger because there’s nothing more rewarding than serving your country."

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www.rubenblades.com

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Follow Charles J. Gans at www.twitter.com/chjgans