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MAUSIKI SCALES
When his parents purchased a piano, keyboardist and bandleader Mausiki
Scales was only 8. But the presence of the keys would reach far past his
hometown of Gary Indiana, with music always residing with him. From the
early exposure to music, Mausiki developed an interest in jazz and funk
and while attending college at Tuskegee University he co-founded the R&B
group Noir. Upon graduation from Tuskegee Univeristy, Mausiki traveled
to Atlanta, Georgia to attend a Master’s program in History.
During this time, he fine-tuned his craft while playing with local
bands. He played with bands he co-founded Fa (1992-1995), and
subsequently, Afro Blue Trio (1995 – 1998). In 1998, Mausiki formed the
Common Ground Collective, weaving sounds of soul, funk, jazz and African
consciousness. He also became a member of UK soul artist, Julie Dexter’s
band in 2002. In 2003, expanding his band to engender *Afrobeat music
with 15 members was a natural progression. Mausiki would take the music
and couple it with history, political awareness, and spiritual fervor,
determined to find the common ground that linked continental African
culture to her diaspora. Mausiki came to express this best through
Afrobeat music and his collective of new, emerging, and master
musicians.
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