JAZZ FACES : JOHN SCOFIELD : The Dirty Sound of Innovation

John Scofield, the innovative jazz guitarist who has toured with such varied artists as Miles Davis and Gary Burton, has a unique way of describing his sound.

“My sound goes from a small amount of dirt . . . to a lot (of dirt),” he says.

Dirt ?

That’s his word for the sonic distortion that Scofield, 39, achieves by funneling his guitar notes through an electronic processor. It’s just one of many textures that distinguish his playing.

Ohio native Scofield, who attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, has never pursued a traditional jazz guitar sound--the kind you might expect from such as Jim Hall or Kenny Burrell.

“If my generation has changed the guitar at all, it’s by using a rock ‘n’ roll sound on the instrument,” said Scofield, who’ll lead his quartet--featuring saxophonist Joe Lovano--on Friday night at At My Place in Santa Monica.

Scofield, whose “Meant to Be” album has just been released by Blue Note Records, couples his sound with an eclectic approach to contemporary jazz, producing a modern and appealing style. His original compositions reflect his primary influences, which--in addition to rock and blues, include funk-jazz, country, be-bop and Ornette Coleman-edged free-jazz.

“With this diversity, hopefully something will happen (on stage),” he said. “Everybody goes through the motions, sometimes for four bars, sometimes for a few tunes, but with this band, there hasn’t been a set where it hasn’t caught on at some point.”