This traditional combination of piano, bass and drums formed in 1998, as the Rochford Jazz Ensemble when “a dentist, a carpenter and a cable guy” put together three lifetimes of musical performance in a seamless jazz trio playing a repertoire as diverse as the musicians themselves.

The musical backgrounds and styles of the performers blend together so well that one would assume they've been playing together for a lot longer . The trio performs with a professionalism and love of the traditional jazz idiom that makes a Jim Szana Trio performance a memorable event.

Their smooth blend of instrumental jazz music is well suited for banquets and conventions where socializing and occasional outbursts of dancing could occur. The group has recorded five CD’s under the ROCHFORD JAZZ ENSEMBLE name, and more recently a CD under the new JIM SZANA TRIO name. Their music has also been featured on SD Public Radio's "JAZZ NIGHTLY" as well as a live concert radio broadcast in 2005. They even had a song played nationally on The Weather Channel’s “Local on the 8’s”.

Members of the South Dakota Arts Council’s Touring Artists Roster since 2002.