Books

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:

“Jazz People,” photos by Ole Brask, text by Dan Morgenstern, Da Capo ($24.50). This 1976 collection, printed in paperback for the first time this year, leisurely retells the story of jazz, spotlighting everyone from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins. Morgenstern offers crisp, flowing verbal portraits, weaving one artist’s tale gently into the next, and Brask’s telling photos provide the essential visuals that make the book live.