Originally Posted by: SophieMI have been messing around with jazz for a while....but now I want to get really serious about it ... Any help??

I did two tutorials on playing in the style of the great Joe Pass:

Jazz Ala Joe Pass
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=149
More Jazz Ala Joe Pass
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=268

Bobby Howe's Xmas songs are good stuff, also!

Gavin Audagnotti's tutorial on walking bass lines is good info.
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=187

A good, knowledgable teacher is invaluable. But in my personal estimation, the first and foremost thing to do if you are serious about jazz is to learn tunes. As in "standards" from the "great American song book". Real Books of tunes are a great resource in this respect.

Learn to play the melody and chords (separately at first, then together later as a "chord melody") to tunes by George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Richard Rogers, Fats Waller, W.C. Handy, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, etc.

Also, I can't let this opportunity go by without mentioning my personal jazz hero, Art Tatum. Get one of his Solo Masterpiece CDs (there are 8 to pick from and a "best of" compilation). Just listening to Tatum is an education in how to play jazz. :)

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.