Videos

Compact discs are generally the gift of choice for the jazz enthusiast, but books and videos on jazz can be provocative and informative alternatives. Here are some of the year’s top books and videos, as selected by members of The Times’ jazz staff:

“Miles Davis & Quincy Jones: Live at Montreux,” Warner Reprise Video (75 mins., $29.98). A more accurate title for this vital documentary would have replaced Jones’ name with that of Gil Evans, since the essential kernel of the 1991 concert (and the film) was Davis’ long-anticipated return to--and coming to grips with--the classic Evans charts for “Miles Ahead,” “Sketches of Spain” and “Porgy and Bess.” This is a must-have historic document for the serious jazz fan; beyond that, it confirms the essential creativity that Davis retained until the end of his life.