First Language

Firstlanguage is a music band from South Africa. The band’s captivating, high-energy performances transport audiences back in time as Firstlanguage blends musicianship, creativity and tradition.

The band is led by Xolani Mdawe, and every performer in the band exudes a love of music. It formed when like-minded musicians kept running into each other and decided to form a jazz band. The band draws its repertoire from nearly a century of musical history, true to the traditional canon of jazz band music from the 1960s and ‘70s and the revival of the ‘80s, and influenced by the more contemporary music of the latest half-century.