BENNY GOODMAN: “The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings.” RCA Victor. *** 1/2 : CHICK COREA & GARY BURTON: “Native Sense: The New Duets.” Stretch. *** 1/2 : HILARIO DURAN AND THE CUBAN JAZZ ALL-STARS: “Killer Tumbao.” Justin Time

The holiday season is a particularly appropriate time to note the ecumenical qualities of jazz--the music’s ability to reach across time, style and national border. And this selection of releases provides a quick, diverse overview, from the historic Goodman outings of the ‘30s, through the work of established contemporary players Corea and Burton, and into the new sounds of Duran.

The three-CD Goodman collection covers the material recorded by the trios (with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa) and quartets (with Lionel Hampton added on vibes) between 1935 and 1939 (although drummer Dave Tough and pianist Jess Stacy, among others, are on the later dates). The performances are classic for several reasons. For one thing, they signaled Goodman’s emergence as an important jazz instrumentalist even more than his big-band playing. Equally important, they were social breakthroughs--extremely early examples of racial integration at a time when blacks and whites rarely worked together.

Familiar items--”After You’ve Gone,” “Tiger Rag,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy” and “Runnin’ Wild” among them--are all here, filled with the sheer musical ebullience that energized all of Goodman’s music. And RCA has packaged the tracks properly, keeping them in precise sequence, and including some interesting alternate tracks for added musical perspective.

The creative affinity between Corea and Burton dates back more than two decades. And this new collection thoroughly demonstrates why the two players--despite their individual differences--play so well together. Most of the music was written by Corea, a characteristically roving set of works, tinged with classical references, underpinned by his restless but propulsive rhythms. On the final work, a disjunct romp through Thelonious Monk’s quirky “Four in One,” both players loosen up their improvisations into a driving, forward-moving swing.

But the Corea-Burton duo--like the recent alliance between Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock--is less about rhythmic specificity than it is about the wide-open, spontaneous creation of music between two probing musical minds. The result is a constantly absorbing set of music that eludes the limitations of stylistic definition.

Cuban pianist Duran’s fascinating collection of music is titled “Killer Tumbao” in tribute to his nickname, “Con Tumbao,” an affectionate reference to his capacity to generate the powerful, left-hand rhythms characteristic to much Cuban music, and known as the “tumbao.” But Duran’s work goes well beyond traditional approaches, mixing irresistible rhythms with overlays of sound and solos that often verge close to the arena of avant-garde jazz.

Duran is an extraordinarily versatile player, blessed with a technique reminiscent of Gonzalo Rubalcaba. But his probing musical curiosity takes him into areas of expression that are utterly original. The extent of that curiosity is particularly apparent on “Three for One,” an astonishing track in which Duran, accompanied only by percussion, moves all over the piano, from the keyboard to strings, following his improvisational muse.

Aside from American saxophonist-flutist Jane Bunnett, the names in Duran’s ensemble will not be familiar to American audiences. But the quality of playing from trumpeter El Indio, saxophonists Carlos Averhoff and German Velazco, and percussionists Jose Luis (“Changuito”) Quintana and Tata Guines would almost surely merit their own recordings if they were residents of this country.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good), four stars (excellent).