"I think there are more jokes on it than people might realize," says one of the most distinctive voices in British pop, Robert Wyatt, when asked why his latest album isn't exactly a laugh-a-minute listen despite being titled "Comicopera." "I used to joke that deep down I'm really shallow, and it does hold with what I do."
As the singer/drummer with Soft Machine, Wyatt was one of the prime movers of the late-1960s progressive rock that came out of Canterbury, England. Since then he has pursued a highly idiosyncratic solo career. "Comicopera" is an ambitious but highly accessible jazz-pop opera in three parts (sung in three languages) that features guest turns from Brian Eno and Paul Weller.