Artist Statement

October 7 in Historic Fourth Ward Park

1:30 p.m. – Parade

7:30 p.m. – Concert

Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective seek to bring the No Tables, No Chairs Second-line Parade and Live Concert back to the Atlanta BeltLine to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the event with expanded interactive content focused on engaging attendees even more directly in a funk-filled exploration of the pulsating rhythms of the African Diaspora. Invoking “old school” musical traditions ranging from 70s funk bands like The JBs, Parliament Funkadelic and Earth, Wind & Fire to second line jazz parades; afrobeat; Junkanoo in the Caribbean to Atlanta’s own HBCU Marching Bands, Mausiki Scales and the Common Collective will use The BeltLine as an “urban interactive stage” to bridge generations of music lovers.

 

Artist Bio

Mausiki Scales, Band Leader/Keyboardist/Historian/Folklorist

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 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, 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, and they were recently featured on the Roy Ayers Fela-fied afrobeat version of “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.” In the Fall, a new Mausiki Scales project, “Drums and Shadows” was released, featuring the juke joint-invoking single, “No Tables, No Chairs” inspired by the parade and concert on the Atlanta Beltline. Up next is a full album collaboration is in the works with Roy Ayers.