Mausiki Scales & The Common Ground Collective

Mausiki Scales has been a force in the Atlanta indie music scene for almost two decades as a sought after keyboardist and founder/musical director of the critically acclaimed ensemble, Mausiki Scales & The Common Ground Collective. An honoree of the Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities, Mausiki is also a folklorist and historian who translates his knowledge into musical arrangements that leave his audiences moved and moving… literally.

Whether performing as a trio or a full ten member-plus ensemble, Mausiki Scales & the Common Ground Collective are known for taking fans on a fearless exploration of the pulsating rhythms of the African Diaspora, seamlessly connecting the dots between afrobeat, funk, hip hop, soul and New Orleans jazz…in a single performance.

They have also collaborated with artists such as Roy Ayers, Babatunde Olatunji, The Last Poets, Third World, Russell Gunn, and Julie Dexter. Together, Mausiki Scales & the Common Ground Collective have released four albums, the most recent, "Passages: The Water Brought Us", and they were featured on the Roy Ayers Fela-fied afrobeat version of “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.”

In 2017, a new Mausiki Scales project, “Drums and Shadows” was released, featuring the juke joint-invoking single, “No Tables, No Chairs” inspired by his signature the parade and concert on the Atlanta BeltLine. The album was recognized by BBC Radio DJ, Gilles Peterson as one of the 50 Essential Jazz and Beyond Records of 2017. Mausiki released his latest project, “WestWest Africa” in July 2020. The single, “Kaleidoscopic Universe”, has achieved worldwide acclaim and is a featured track on Spotify’s ‘Jazz Funk’ playlist.