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Many people may not know of Mark Hatch but EVI players in particular should find his story quite interesting. Mark is an EVI wind controller pioneer having first met EVI inventor Nyle Steiner around 1973 at the University of Utah. Nyle was living in Utah attending the university and Mark was there along with many young "jazzers" from the East and West coasts enrolled in the university's impressive jazz program. Mark was playing some of the earliest EVIs and witnessed the birth of numerous wind controller features that we use today. He writes:
Throughout this period from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s, Mark spent a lot of time working with Nyle. In the process he learned how to do some of the basic mods himself and he started taking some limited work modifying some peoples' EVIs and EWIs. He also did some construction of custom EVI/EWI cases and systems for himself and others. Around 1980 when he was touring with Chaka Khan and Rufus, Mark took a friend, Doug Norwine, who was the saxophone player on the Rufus gig to visit Nyle Steiner. Norwine was interested in getting a woodwind version of the EVI. Nyle said he had been working on developing such an instrument and agreed to build Norwine an Electronic Woodwind Instrument or "EWI"- the very first of his custom built EWIs. This system was in a small camera type case and was interfaced with one of the original white Oberheim synth modules (as in the Obi 4 voice synths). It also contained one of Nyle's custom built two oscillator synths. They used this EWI and Mark's EVI on some tracks of a Rufus album which was one of the first wind driver horn section recordings. Nyle also built a later system for Norwine which had two Crumar modules side by side. The aim was to get that great smooth response of the Crumar with two voices and an even fatter sound. Nyle went on to build several other EWI systems for primarily LA based woodwind players who used them mostly in the studios. Eventually Nyle got a call from Michael Brecker (whom he had never heard of at the time) who got one of these custom built EWIs. Mark remembers having to convince Nyle that Brecker was not just "another sax player" pestering him for an EWI! By the mid 1980s, Nyle was very busy (and rightfully so!) doing lots of major film and TV work. As a result he had less time to "tinker" in his shop. He was also being deluged with orders to build mainly EWIs for woodwind players. Eventually he hooked up with Akai with the help of EWI player Joel Peskin and in 1987 Akai started building EVIs and EWIs with the release of their Akai EWI1000 and EV1000 and the accompanying sound module the EWV2000. With Akai now building the instruments, Nyle Steiner had more time to develop and refine new versions of his instruments and build a limited number himself. During these years, Mark played both trumpet and EVI doing TV and record work sometimes subbing for Nyle Steiner in the studio. Hatch also toured and led his own groups. Mark is now living in California still playing the EVI and trumpet, though he is "officially" retired from the business. His current group is called "Group5"- a group comprised of five veteran musicians/friends who originally just got together informally to play “off the clock" just for the love of playing. It has since turned into something special. Using the classic 60s jazz quintet as a starting point, Group 5 moves that tradition forward by drawing on the wide range and experience of its members, incorporating a wide variety of musical genres and influences, and utilizing the most recent musical technology. Mark Hatch can be reached via email at groupfive.music@gmail.com. For more about Nyle Steiner and the EVI and EWI, be sure to visit the Nyle Steiner Homepage and the MIDI EVI page and the Wind Controller FAQ. Matt Traum
The Crumar / Moog Source System circa 1983 Mark writes: "Nyle did the electronics and I did the construction. The keyboard was removed and a customized Crumar synth was built-in. This system was all I used after it had these additions- two envelope filter knobs with switch, an octave switch that allowed selection of normal octave, 8va up, and 8va below, and a separate output jack for a tuner. All the black knobs and the switches on top of the Source were added. The EVI driver stores in the keyboard area sitting upright with its canister down (note the cutout in the wood). I built a custom case that the entire unit fits into. This system also has one of Nyle's custom built string filters built in. This pre-MIDI system sounds super fat due to the analog synth. The Source has that classic Moog lead sound and coupled with the Crumar synth it is a great sounding system. I used this one on many recordings. In fact, it got a lot of solo space on the old Mike Hammer TV series. Nyle did this system because I asked him if he could make the EVI control something with programmable sounds, and I liked the MiniMoog sound. This was one of the early programmable synths. I think it had 16 programmable slots." This Moog Source also had a custom interface that allowed connection to the Steiner-customized Cooper MIDI Wind Driver box providing MIDI OUT capabilities. Crumar / Matrix-1000 Rig circa 1988 Mark writes: "This was a system that I put together after the Source. It was one of the first using Nyle's Wind Driver MIDI interface. It contains the customized Crumar synth (now with 20 pin plug to connect to Wind Driver) MIDI'd to an Oberheim Matrix-1000. You can see (L to R) the Wind Driver with mixer on top, MidiVerb with TC Stereo Chorus below, Nyle's custom filter (black box) he built for me. It was used a lot to filter the Crumar sounds for more realistic acoustic instrument sounds. I had a whole mini notebook I put together showing the best knob settings on the Crumar and this box for various acoustic instrument sounds. Ah, pre-programmable days! Quick sound changes in the middle of a recording cue were hairy! As I often did/do, I built the box/case with removable top and did all the wiring in this system." Mark Hatch's Smaller EVI system Mark writes: "Yet another smaller system We were always trying to get the rigs smaller. This system contains a modified Crumar EVI with Wind Driver, mixer, Nyle's filter box etc. Built into a camera case. Nyle loved that idea and started building his personal systems into camera cases." Mark Hatch's Amped System Mark writes: "Another custom enclosure I built containing many of the same components as above, with the addition of built-in amplification. A Carver Cube amp (200 watts per channel- 7" square cube- 8 lbs.) and two mini preamps. I still use these amps as they are incredible! Note the patch points on the rear." Another Mark Hatch EVI System Mark writes: "This system is a heavily modified Crumar module and driver connected to a Nyle Steiner modified JL Cooper Wind Driver box driving a Roland JV-1010. The system is built into a camera case." Left side top to bottom: TC stereo chorus, Rolls stereo mixer, Roland JV-1010, Alesis MicroVerb II below. Right side: Power supplies (silver box) with main power plug, tuner, MIDI Merger, Wind Driver MIDI converter box. Crumar module with driver in storage position. Mark states: "Nyle encouraged me many times to change over to his later 'keyless' EVI drivers, but I always preferred the old 'keyed' style EVI. The 15 pin connector installed on the EVI body, three key transpose switch (C, Bb, Eb), and original pitchbend sensors were an early mod to the Crumars done by Nyle Steiner." The Crumar Module has been modded by Nyle Steiner to add a Bypass switch allowing an external MIDI synth to go thru the Crumar's filter or bypass it, an Octave switch moves the Crumar synth to normal oct, 8va, or 8vb, a VOL/VCA knob which controls the Crumar's output level for mixing with MIDI'd external synth, two envelope control knobs, and an ON/OFF envelope switch. Mark Hatch's Current EVI System - Updated May 5, 2005 Here are three photos of Mark's latest EVI rig containing the following:
Custom Nyle Steiner Filter Box (1985) A freestanding "high/low" filter like the one in the Crumar / Matrix-1000 Rig described above. Built by Nyle Steiner around 1985.
Here are some clips of Mark's EVI work. Mark writes: "I did a lot of playing of the EVI in my own and others small Jazz/Fusion bands in the LA area during these same years." The following are some interesting recordings that featured the EVI...
The above selections are provided courtesy of Mark Hatch and are copyright by Mark Hatch. All Rights Reserved.
Here are some video clips of Mark's EVI work. Mark writes: "These are all from the mid 1980s to early 1990s...
The above selections are provided courtesy of Mark Hatch and are copyright by Mark Hatch. All Rights Reserved.
Mark has played on numerous TV, Film, and Jingle sessions, was musical director for Chaka Khan and Rufus, performed and recorded with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Flora Purim, Jeff Richman, Bette Midler, Louie Bellson, Vinnie Colaiuta, and many others. Mark "officially" retired from the business in 1996, so these recordings are not terribly current. A lot of what he recorded on the EVI was for TV between the years 1980-1995. Here are some interesting recordings that feature his EVI work... Rufus Party Till You're Broke MCA 1980 LP Karen Blake Just One Heart Cafe 1984 LP Jeff Richman Himalaya Passport Jazz 1985 LP/CD Jeff Richman People Like Us ITI 1989 LP/CD Jeff Richman Bamboo Man Synton 1988 LP Bunny Hull Truth and Tenderness Pony Canyon 1993 CD Secret 9 Secret 9 Private 1998 CD Barry Coates The Spirit Within BTC 1999 CD PATCHMAN MUSIC Home Page | Wind Controller Soundbanks Wind Controller Links!!
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