Rayuela -

Rayuela was an Argentine jazz-rock/folk band that released a 1977 self-titled album on Orfeo.

Members: Andres Goldstein, Eduardo Berinstein, Guillermo Nojechowicz, Marcelo Morano, Willy Campins

Background

Rayuela formed in Buenos Aires by 1976 with bassist Willie Campins, guitarist Andrés Goldstein, keyboardist Marcelo Morano, reedist Eduardo Berinstein, and drummer/percussionist Guillermo Nojechowicz.

Campins heard classical music in childhood through a father who played at the Teatro Colón. He and Goldstein first learned group discipline in Girasol, which moved from quartet to trio before Rayuela. Campins later played in Airán with his sister Mónica Campins, who joined Soluna on organ and chorus vocals. Rayuela shared a rehearsal basement with Soluna, the group Gustavo Santaolalla formed after his six albums with Arco Iris.

Campins wanted a band that extended beyond bass and guitar, so Rayuela built its arrangements around keyboards, saxophone, and flute. The group rehearsed for several months before its Teatro Del Carmen debut, then played Buenos Aires and the surrounding circuit. After a year of concerts, the quintet entered the studio.

Rayuela

Rayuela released their self-titled debut album in 1977 on Orfeo in Argentina. The album became the Buenos Aires quintet’s only album.

The album presents seven original titles, performed by Campins, Goldstein, Nojechowicz, Morano, and Berinstein, who plays tenor saxophone, flute, and sundry percussion. All but the last two double as vocalists.

“La Casa del Hombre” charges through a reed-led line, then turns to Goldstein’s verse as organ and bass thicken the center. “Los Últimos Grillos” glides from acoustic guitar figures into soft vocal entries, backing responses, flute color, and a fragile keyboard break. “Aéreo” darts through a punchy instrumental riff with sharp section shifts, trading saxophone and fretboard leads before a calmer electric-piano passage resets the ensemble. “Vientos de la Calma” loosens into a spare vocal piece with harmonica, criollo shading, and a laid-back pulse.

“Acaso Tu Crees” coils around pulsing keys and a close rhythm section, then opens into accelerated guitar lines and denser instrumental passages. “Sexo y Dinero” brightens the second side with uptempo motion, clipped synth figures, electric-piano runs, and a pronounced low-end drive. “Vendré con el Viento” recedes from a piano prelude into near-silence, then blooms through reserved vocals, string color, late horn phrases, and a final solo passage.

A1. “La Casa del Hombre” [The House of Man] (3:59) – Goldstein, Tarrab, Campins
A2. “Los Últimos Grillos” [The Last Crickets] (6:18) – Goldstein, Tarrab
A3. “Aéreo” [Aerial] (4:50) – Goldstein
A4. “Vientos de la Calma” [Winds of Calm] (3:45) – Goldstein

B1. “Acaso Tú Crees (Que No Me Di Cuenta Que Te Fuiste Hace Diez Años?)” [Do You Maybe Think (That I Didn’t Notice You Left Ten Years Ago?)] (7:16) – Morano
B2. “Sexo y Dinero” [Sex and Money] (4:34) – Campins
B3. “Vendré Con El Viento” [I Will Come With the Wind] (7:46) – Nojechowicz, Gicovate

Guest musicians comprise flutist Pablo Nojechowicz on “Los Últimos Grillos” and backing vocalist Ana María Quatraro on “Vientos de la Calma.”

Rayuela produced the album in mid-1977 at CBS Studios in Argentina. Artistic director Rubén Aguilera mixed the tracks with Rayuela and Jorge Garrido.

Rayuela appeared in a coated gatefold cover with front-cover photography by Mauricio Tarrab and inner/back-cover photography by Martín Berinstein. The front image shows a blue-and-gold tree scene below the band name.

Ediciones Rayuela issued a CD reissue in 2004, and Fonocal followed with a 2024 CD edition.

Discography: