As the holidays approach, I have a potpourri of CD and book recommendations for holiday gifts or general interest.

For serious jazz audiophiles, Oxford University Press has released paperback editions of two books that focus on the specific recordings of a pair of seminal bands. Brian Harker’s “Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings” and Keith Water’s “The Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68” offer up detailed analyses of the output of these historic ensembles and their impact on the development of jazz in the 20th century. While the writing is a bit dry, the enthusiasm these authors have for their subjects is clearly evident.

A couple of autobiographies have come out in recent months, including “Here and Now: the Autobiography of Pat Martino,” by the guitarist and Bill Milkowski, and “Clark—the Autobiography of Clark Terry” by the trumpet legend and his wife Gwen. Both books offer insight into the lives and careers of these two jazz masters.

Martino’s book covers his early days as a hot guitar slinger in his native Philadelphia and his role in the soul-jazz and fusion movements of the ’70s. He also offers a candid look into his 1980 surgery for a brain aneurysm, which resulted in severe memory loss, and the painstaking recovery he endured to regain his abilities on guitar and resurrect his career in the early ’90s. It’s a provocative and compelling story.

The Terry book begins with his youth in St. Louis, covers his naval career during World War II, his first big gig with Count Basie’s small ensemble, and his years with Duke Ellington’s band in the ’50s. The book also details Terry’s membership in the Tonight Show Orchestra and his devotion to jazz education. It offers a nice balance on Terry’s life outside of music, giving readers a look at the man behind the music. This book offers a wonderful portrait of a musician who has given much to the jazz world.

In the mid 1960s, the Miles Davis Quintet was redefining the sound of jazz improvisation, yet there were few live recordings available. Sony Legacy has launched a new initiative that will pull together a number of live bootlegs into an ongoing series of remastered CDs called “The Bootleg Series.” The first is a remarkable three-CD and DVD set titled “The Miles Davis Quintet Live in Europe 1967.” It showcases a group at the height of its creative powers as the musicians indulge in colorful explorations of standards and originals that expand the boundaries of jazz. The CDs have a nice, clean sound and the DVD allows you to watch Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter pursue their creative instincts under the incendiary drumming of Tony Williams.

Another noteworthy CD is “Family” by the 3 Cohens—saxophonist/clarinetist Anat and her brothers Yuval on soprano sax and Avishai on trumpet. The sound is reminiscent of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the early ’80s with Wynton Marsalis, but with a contemporary edge. The siblings push and goad one another with fiery ruminations on a program of standards and originals, ably supported by Aaron Goldberg on piano, Matt Penman on bass and Gregory Hutchison on drums. Vocalist Jon Hendricks joins in on two cuts, raising the heat to a higher level. This is a fun group that uses jazz tradition to create new music.

“Resilience” is the debut CD from Boston-based saxophonist Tim Mayer on Jazz Legacy Productions. This is a jazz recording from a young musician who isn’t afraid to play jazz tunes from composers such as Lee Morgan, Fats Navarro, Monk and Charles Tolliver, to name a few. Yet, like the 3 Cohens disc, the album adds contemporary flavor to the tunes. With great support from George Cables on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass and Willie Jones III on drums, as well as guest trumpeters Claudio Roditi and Greg Gisbert, this CD burns and swings from the get-go.

New Orleans-based clarinetist and saxophonist Aurora Nealand has built a career as a multi-dimensional artist. Also an author and actress who has appeared on HBO’s “Treme,” Nealand leads her group the Royal Roses on their debut recording, “A Tribute to Sidney Bechet Live in New Orleans.” Recorded at Preservation Hall in 2010, Nealand and her stellar seven-piece band offer highly spirited and energetic performances on a mix of several tunes by Bechet, along with others by Ellington and Gershwin, among others. These young musicians play the music with proper respect, but they also give it a spirit and vitality often missing from recordings by more established musicians. This is a promising recording from a terrific band.

Finally, Dave Matthews Band saxophonist Jeff Coffin offers a lively jazz-funk jam set on “Jeff Coffin & the Mu’tet Live.” Raised in Sanford, Maine, Coffin went to Spaulding High School in Rochester and then the University of New Hampshire. He’s at his energetic and creative best on this disc.

Most of the above CDs can be found through Bull Moose in Portsmouth. The books can be ordered through RiverRun Bookstore.