A longtime champion of New Zealand music, Jack has been the editor of Waiteata Music Press since 1980. Waiteata Press is a major publisher of New Zealand music with almost 200 scores, representing over 55 composers. In addition he has produced many CDs of music by New Zealand composers. Recent CD recordings of his own music include "Sacred & Profane" (Vox Humana, Song Cycle, Invocation) on Portal Records 2000, and "Pulse" (Melodies, Three Transcriptions, Campur Sari, African Strings, Pulse) on Rattle Records 2001. As a composer, his music is performed by groups such as the NZSO, the New Zealand String Quartet, the BBC Scottish Orchestra and the Kronos Quartet. Current commissions include a guitar concerto for the NZSO with Australian soloist Slava Gregoryan, and a work for the Maarten Altena Ensemble, Amsterdam.

Jack has been the Curator of three Sonic Circuses - multi-venue marathons of NZ music. He was the Artistic Director of two Asia-Pacific Festivals (1982, 1992) and the Curator of New Music New Zealand, a 5- concert Festival of NZ Music, Amsterdam, Nov 23-26, 2001.

As a photographer-composer he has created interactive sound & image installations, which have been commissioned by almost all the major public galleries including the National Gallery, the Auckland City Gallery, the Robert McDougall Gallery, the Dunedin Public Gallery and the Wellington City Gallery.

Jack’s interest in ethnomusicology has resulted in publications including Music of Madura (Ode Records, New Zealand) and Jemblung (Pan, Netherlands). Currently he is collaborating in a project with Zhang Xingrong from the Yunnan Fine Arts Institute, Kunming, China, in a four CD anthology of instrumental music of the Yunnan Minorities.

Jack Body received 1st Prize at Bourges for electroacoustic music in 1976, and was awarded the Order of Merit of New Zealand for services to music in 2001.