It doesn't take long to realise why there is an exclamation mark after the book's main title.
Not only is it a heavy-volume hard cover of 250-plus pages in full colour with tons of photos, but it celebrates the size of Jack Body's contribution to New Zealand music in so many ways.
Of course it uses his first name because he was such a friendly, helpful man, full of smiles.
Body was internationally renowned as a composer and ethnomusicologist, truly a ''jack of all trades'' as far as his musical interests and compositions were concerned, ranging from gamelan to electro-acoustic, and most other forms of music, as well as photography.
Sadly he had a long battle with cancer, and was in a hospice when he received an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Award last month.
It is given to only 20 living creative artists.
Jack's medal (added to the Laureate Award given in 2004) was passed on from artist the late Ralph Hotere, with whom Body had collaborated on a series called Song Cycle.
Three days later he died, and the day after that this book was launched.
It was intended to be a 70th birthday present, but will become a memorial.
It contains written contributions from almost 120 of Jack's colleagues, friends, students and family.
They include Geoff Chapple, composer Tan Dun, Gareth Farr, Gao Ping, David Harrington (Kronos Quartet), Margaret Nielsen, Richard Nunns, Roland Peelman (The Song Company), John Psathas, Budi Putra, Frederic Rzewski, Chinary Ung, Peter Walls and Ian Wedde.
Many of the messages are open letters to Jack, with anecdotes and personal insights; others present an artwork or composition score.
There are musical tributes from Dame Gillian Whitehead, John Elmsly, Frederic Rzewski, Yuji Takahashi, Jose Evangelista, Somei Satoh, Dieter Mack and Ross Harris.
Interspersed throughout the pages are big sections from a transcript of Jack's comprehensive Radio NZ Concert ''Composer of the Week'' interview with Elizabeth Kerr.
The three editors had a huge job, and have done splendidly.
Book design is also first-class.
No surprise really, as apparently Jack himself took an interest in the whole project, giving advice and encouragement.
So a big, attractive, interesting and entertaining book, at a cheap price!
It will be a must for lovers of contemporary New Zealand music.
But in its excellence, Jack! might be mistaken for a serious biography.
Examination of his large musical output and full critique of Body as a composer will still need to be written.
This book provides a wonderful scrapbook of material.
Much of it is informative or entertaining, as originally intended.
As a valuable archive it proves Jack was loved and admired, helpful to so many.
In the future there will need to be a formal biographer and deep examination of the Body musical output, its worth in history and its influences.
• Geoff Adams is a former ODT editor.
