Smith & Dragoman: Home
SMITH & DRAGOMAN LIVE IN CONCERT DVD JUST RELEASED!!!
Welcome to the Smith & Dragoman website!
It is difficult to categorize the music of Smith & Dragoman, but listeners seem to agree on the adjectives - "haunting melodies", "amazing harmonies", "poignant themes", "touching lyrics" and "soul-stirring music".
Smith & Dragoman's CD's include Open the Gates (their debut double CD) and their recently released CD Under the Lote-Tree.
Open the Gates was a project inspired by the stories of heroes and heroines from mid 19th century Persia who chose to lead a life in accordance with their beliefs - beliefs which ran counter to the dominant voice of the fanatical religious leaders of the time and which, in the end, cost them their lives.
They were known as Babí’s, courageous souls who believed in the sacred teachings of the Báb. They held a vision of one human family, and set out to be the first to spread the new teachings. The Babí Faith was the precursor to the Baha’i Faith which is now the second most widespread religion in the world.
We are humbled by their examples of courage, perseverance and faith, and only hope that we have captured in some small way the essence of their miraculous lives.
Under the Lote-Tree, a follow up to Open the Gates, continues the saga of those heroes and heroines who embraced the teachings of the Báb and later, Bahá’u’lláh, between the years 1852 and 1892.
The title “Under the Lote-Tree” is taken from the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, where Lote-Tree generally refers to the Messengers of God. The implication is that the Messengers of God occupy a station to which ordinary human beings can neither attain nor surpass. It is also known that in ancient times, the Arabs planted such a tree to mark the end of a road.
While several songs in the music of Smith & Dragoman refer to the harm inflicted upon the early followers of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, it should be clearly noted that the Bahá’í Faith itself is a life-affirming faith with its aims fixed on the peace and unity of the peoples of the world. Its members are actively concerned with the well-being of the world, and are striving to bring about unity at all levels of society.
Our music is dedicated to the Bahá’ís in Iran and all those in the world who suffer unspeakable injustice and persecution for their beliefs.
We welcome you to our site and hope you enjoy the music.
Sincerely,
Brett Smith and Michael Dragoman