Jack Body’s music covers most genres, including solo and chamber music, orchestral music, music-theatre, music for dance and film as well as electroacoustic music. His music has been performed and broadcast widely in both New Zealand and overseas. He has worked with the renowned Kronos Quartet on four separate projects. He has also worked in experimental photography and computer-controlled sound-image installations, having received commissions from several public galleries. A fascination with the music and cultures of Asia, particularly Indonesia, has been a strong influence on his music. As an ethnomusicologist his published recordings include music from Indonesia and China.
Jack Body was born in Te Aroha and studied at Auckland University, with further experience in Cologne and at the Institute of Sonology, Utrecht in the Netherlands. During 1976-77 he was a guest lecturer at the Akademi Musik Indonesia, Yogyakarta, and since 1980 he has lectured at the School of Music, Victoria University of Wellington.
As an ethnomusicologist, his published recordings include music from Indonesia and China – a set of four CDs, South of the Clouds, features field recordings of pioneer Chinese researcher Zhang Xingrong.