Tracks
Track |
Time |
Play |
| Ma tovu | 02:50 | |
| Tzur yisra'el | 02:15 | |
| K'dusha | 05:23 | |
| Grant Us Peace | 02:37 | |
| Kaddish | 02:10 | |
| The Earth is the Lord's | 02:50 | |
| Su sh'arim | 01:17 | |
| Havu godel — Barukh shenatan | 01:25 | |
| Bet ya'akov – Sh'ma yisra'el | 02:04 | |
| K'ri'at ha'torah – Reading of Scripture and brakhot | 05:35 | |
| Gad'lu l'adonai iti Hodo al eretz | 01:10 | |
| The Law of the Lord | 02:05 | |
| Etz ḥayyim hi | 03:30 |
Liner Notes
Cantor Raymond Smolover wrote Gates of Freedom as a companion work to his Edge of Freedom in order to provide—with the two works taken together—a full expression of the Reform Sabbath liturgy in what he called a “religious rock” idiom. Gates of Freedom addresses the texts of the Reform Sabbath Torah Service as they appeared in the contemporaneous edition of the Union Prayerbook, which was the de facto official prayerbook of the Reform movement in America at the time.
In describing his embrace of “religious rock” for this work, Cantor Smolover has explained that he chose this admittedly new term to “express a tradition as ancient as the chanting of Scripture, as joyful as a Hassidic niggun, and as contemporary as folk, folk-rock, jazz, and rock. It is an attempt to add the rhythmic beat of the heart and the restless yearning of the soul; and to enable the earthbound flesh to take melodic flight with the spirit.” Nonetheless, he has always emphasized that the music of Gates of Freedom is in most instances based on traditional motifs of the Sabbath liturgy and the cantillation motifs for biblical readings or chant.
Credits
Composer: Raymond SmoloverPerformers: Mindy Canter, Flute and Bells; Robin Canter, Bass Guitar; Joel Feinberg, Bass Guitar; Jeff Labes, Piano; Richard Linowes, Lead Guitar; Michael Mark, Guitar; Members of the Jewish Community Center Temple Youth Folk ; Geoffrey Menin, Organ, Piano, Celesta; David Smolover, Lead Guitar; Raymond Smolover, Cantor; Dan Sofer, Drums
