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If John Tesh were my dentist I'd probably recommend him to all of my friends. He's easy-going, affable and comfortably square. Unfortunately, he's a musician, not a dentist, and his new-age tunes turn every room into a dentist's office. It's Muzak polished with the soul-less sheen of contemporary jazz. There are touches of Spanish and Italian influence on Tesh's 10th solo album, Avalon (GTSP), yet the outcome is mired in sweet sterility. Sax All Night (GTSP), the latest offering from The John Tesh Project (which brings together saxophonists to play Tesh's music), is like one long Michelob beer commercial. Saccharine covers of "Rocket Man," "Mexico" and "Red Rain" complement a handful of originals. Live, Tesh's concerts rival Superbowl halftime shows for schlockiness. That's not to say former commentator for Entertainment Tonight is underappreciated. He sells 3 to 4 million records a year. And life is good for this 45-year-old born-again Christian from Garden City, NY. He admittedly lives "the simplest life you could possibly imagine. Most days he gets his son and daughter off to school, has a few meetings at his record company (GTSP), kicks 'round a few ideas in his home recording studio, swims some laps in the pool and then it's time for dinner. When earSHOT catches up to the 6-foot-6-inch blonde hunk he's just gotten out of a marketing meeting and is admittedly a little concerned about the slump the record industry is in. Yet he's happy to talk about his wonderful wife (actress Connie Sellecca), his great kids and how he keeps his music from, uh, getting too boring. What do you look for in the saxophonists you use in The John Tesh Project? I like somebody who takes chances with their solos. What do you mean by taking chances? Maybe playing a little more against the chord progression or getting a little crazy; you want to make sure it doesn't sound too much like Muzak. What steps do you take to make sure that doesn't happen? I encourage the saxophonists to play a little bit away from the melody. We all know what the melody of "Rocket Man" and "Mexico" is. I give saxophonists the luxury of not playing the song the way you'd hear it in an elevator. Do you still do exercises to combat stage fright before concerts? We carry a Stairmaster along with us on the road. I usually do an intense workout before the show. But it's not something I really think about anymore. I could walk out the door right now and do a concert in front of 20,000 people and it wouldn't bother me. I really enjoy doing it, sort of thrive on it. Are you a perfectionist when it comes to making music? I'm probably more of a perfectionist about my live show. I'm very meticulous when it comes to the sounds, lights and staging. I consider that stuff "gravy" and I don't want anything stupid to get in the way of the music. We bring a huge light show with us and if one person in the first five rows gets blinded - and that's happened before - it drives me nuts. Or if someone says it was too loud or not loud enough that really bugs me. Do you have a strong hand in choreographing the dancers in your stage show? I use a choreographer, but I do have a lot of input. I go to a lot of concerts, so I know the quality of shows that are out there. I'm the kind of guy who's been to Riverdance four times. I've seen Jethro Tull 25 times and Page/Plant as well. I'm a big fan of all of them. In order to be competitive, you have to be very sophisticated in your staging. You can't just show up with your back to the audience and play anymore. Do you see Jethro Tull and Page/Plant as your competition? No, but they're certainly my inspiration. When you were growing up was there a band you wished you could have been in? Yeah, the first Blood, Sweat & Tears. The one with Al Kooper. I understand what they were doing and how cool it was. I thought they were really pushing the boundaries. Now that kind of stuff is coming back with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Squirrel Nut Zippers. What's the most surprising gift you've gotten from a fan? I get a lot of cakes. I don't know what the deal is with that. I get stuff with sayings on it like "Keep the Music Alive" or "We Love You." People bake me a lot of cookies. They must think I don't weigh enough or something. People paint a lot of portraits of me and Connie and we keep them around the house. Is there anything you miss about being on Entertainment Tonight? I miss the people. I really like the people a lot. I've had a lot of offers to do TV lately but I don't think I'm going to take them. You wouldn't even host for a one-time occasion? I've been offered to do the Olympics in Sydney and I would love to do it. The chance to be slammed by more critics would be great. How do you feel about the criticism? It doesn't bother me. If NBC is paying a lot of money to talk to millions of people about a subject I've researched for a good portion of my life, then if I didn't do it to the critics' liking that's fine. I spent six years covering the national gymnastic championships for CBS. I'd like to see any of those critics put on a pair of headphones and do that. Is there any music that you don't like? No, I'm actually one of the only people in my house that likes rap. Any artists in particular? None that come to mind. Why is The Road Less Traveled one of your favorite books? The first line of it is all you really need. "Life is difficult." Once you realize that, you can transcend everything that's attached to it. I read you were working on your autobiography. Did that ever come out? Nah, I gave the advance back. I figured I didn't have anything to write about.
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