An hour of great guitar tips from the late great virtuoso jazzer Joe Pass. Joe's minimalistic chord forms are applicable to (and found in) many styles of music -

Joe Pass - Blue Side of Jazz guitar lesson

The video is available now on DVD with additional material, chord and exercise booklet, check out Joe Pass: The Blue Side Of Jazz

Linking chords via common notes

This is a theme Joe returns to time and time again, throughout the video. If you want to write a passage of jazz stuff ... link it with common note, or a common phrase #gold

Choice of keys

"Do not play more than one or two tunes together in the key of E, A and D ... my theory is that you start getting the drone sound ... and it doesn't matter what you play, how beautiful the chords are... you will put an audience to sleep - and yourself too! ... if you play in the key of A, play the next piece in the key of C or Eb or Bb, even though we all know that those are the prettiest sounding keys on the guitar" [4'45"]

Colour tones and choice of form

If you use colour tones, it's a good idea to follow suit, keep the same form [11'45"]

Never play anything that's hard!

These are things on the guitar that you should know how to do! Easy things! Never play anything that's hard! If it's hard, don't play it! [40:30]

That's great advice. Don't tie yourself up in knots trying to play chord notes you don't need to! Joe has a 'simple' system of chord forms, that he can grab quickly, beneath any given bass line. So, when describing a "7th" (he's actually playing a simplified 6th or 13th). This flexible system prefers the ability to move and flow, in tune with his inner musical ear, over adherence to strict theoretical correctness! Go Joe!

Here's a sample of major forms used in the video

CMaj7 add 9, CMaj7 add9 add#11, G6/E (cf an Em7)
tricky polychord, CMaj7, tricky polychord

LOL - these aren't conventional chords, but a real mix of major scale notes.

... and seventh forms -

The first two sound closer to minor 6 chords (summertime), then a standard 6th

Wow... Joe liked to mix up his colours! All is fair in love, war and jazz

References

For more information, check out Mel Bay's Joe Pass Guitar Chords
Joe Pass: The Blue Side Of Jazz