So called "active esters" form amides with amines. The first alcohol (to the best of my knowledge) was 4-nitrophenol, and the paper was in JACS in 1959 (Bodzanski might have been the corresponding author, but my memory is uncertain). Pentafluorophenol is another alcohol that forms active esters. The pKa of the conjugate acid of the leaving group is lower for an active ester than for a typical ester.