Mausiki Scales has been a force in the Atlanta indie music scene for over two decades as a sought-after keyboardist and founder/musical director of the critically acclaimed ensemble Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective. A recipient of the 2015 Georgia 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 and 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 performed in numerous celebrations, concerts, and special events throughout Africa and the Americas, including Ghana's Golden Anniversary Celebration, the National Black Arts Festival, Funk Jazz Café, and the Atlanta Jazz Festival. They have also collaborated with artists such as Roy Ayers, Babatunde Olatunji, Les Nubians, Stevie Wonder, The Last Poets, Third World, Russell Gunn, and Julie Dexter. Together Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective have released four albums, the most recent, Passages: The Water Brought Us. They were recently featured on the Roy Ayers Fela-fied afrobeat version of “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.” Mausiki Scales’s project “Drums and Shadows” featured the juke joint-invoking single “No Tables, No Chairs” inspired by his 2nd-line parade and concert on the Atlanta Beltline. Mausiki recently released his latest CD project “WestWest Africa”. The single “Kaleidoscopic Universe” has achieved worldwide acclaim, and is a featured track on Spotify’s 'Jazz Funk' playlist.
Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective | 2022
Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective and local Wordsmiths of the West End seek to bring Storytelling, Poetry and Live Jazz to Atlanta online. View the virtual performance here. Nommo engaged attendees in an immersive experience of poetry, storytelling and testifying centered on the rich history of African and Africans in America, specifically highlighting the history and culture of Atlanta’s West End. Invoking music and poetry in the tradition of the Black Arts Movement ranging from 60s ensembles and poets like The Last Poets, Haki Madhubuti, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka to more recent artists, like Outkast, Jessica Care-Moore and Kendrick Lamar, Nommo will feature local talent such as Sherry J. Williams, Opal Moore, Aziza Afi, Kenneth Zakee, Corey Cokes, Felton Eady and other members of the collective Poetry Kitchen.