On May 10 this year, Jack Body passed away aged 70. Not many people, alive or dead, can be said to have done as much for NZ music as this man. In his last months he was to produce a final collection of work entitled ‘Passing By’ which shows the diverse nature of his compositional work.

While also featuring performances by the NZ Trio, Kronos Quartet, New Music Works, Del Sol Quartet, David Radzynski, Alexander Ivashkin and Ensemble Nomad, Body makes sure to include some of his electroacoustic work including Intimate History No.1: Yono and Musik Dari Jalan with hugely exciting sonic landscapes. His compositional genius is shown off in Tribute To The Blues where he incorporates field recordings and creates an art music/blues hybrid. The highlight, I feel, is The Street Where I Live with Stephen de Pledge on piano where a vocal recording by Body is illustrated by the piano part. It is sad to lose such a brilliant mind, however Body and what he stood for can live on through the recordings and compositions in albums such as ‘Passing By’.