Chicago rapper Common will perform with the Miami-based hybrid orchestra Nu Deco Ensemble at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami. The show reimagines his socially conscious catalog with new arrangements and other surprises.
Common, who has spent his birthdays in Miami for about a decade, said the performance is a chance to try something new. He said the set will not feature his own band or The Roots, a first for him, and that Nu Deco was built to shape the music from the ground up.
Nu Deco CEO and co-artistic director Sam Hyken said the group has worked with artists ranging from Wyclef Jean and Macy Gray to Ben Folds and Stephen Marley. Hyken said the ensemble arranged the set around Common’s back catalog, which he has known for years.
The concert also previews a new album Common is making with producer Madlib, which he described as a more spoken word and jazz-leaning project.
Tickets range from $70 to $298. Information is available at arshtcenter.org or by calling 305-949-6722.
