The BAND

Mausiki Scales \\ Band Leader, Keyboards

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, the Common Ground Collective. Recently honored with the 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 10-piece 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, Stevie Wonder, The Last Poets and Third World.

Together, Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective have released four albums, the most recent, Passages: The Water Brought Us, and they were recently featured on the Roy Ayers Fela-fied afrobeat version of Everybody Loves the Sunshine. In 2017, Mausiki released a new project, Drums and Shadows, featuring the juke joint-invoking single, No Tables, No Chairs which has inspired an annual parade and party along the Atlanta BeltLine, along with other popular tracks like Freedom Flight, Summer Solstice and One2Gether.

The Common Ground Collective