SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - They fuse and they atomize.

Friends and musicians Carmen Braden, Mike McCormick, Dennis Siemens and Caleb Harrison reunite on stage at the dawn of every summer before journeying to various points around the country and beyond, for university and other adventures each fall.

"Over the last couple of years all of us have dispersed across the country," Braden said. "I'm going to school in Acadia, Caleb is on the west coast and Dennis and Mike are in the middle somewhere. But, every summer for the last four years or so we've all ended up back here playing together."

The four friends form the innovative jazz quartet A Fine Madness.

Their contemporary jazz sound drifts into Latin, folk and the occasional calypso beat.

"We also throw in a little Barroom Madness and we share a common idol in Tom Waits with some Beatles thrown in," Braden said.

They cover a Disney movie theme and an exciting re-arrangement of Claude Debussy, interspersed with lots of familiar tunes that they rework and revamp, including a wide repertoire of experimental instrumentals.

Harrison, McCormick and Siemens used to play together back in the high school years.

"We had a terrible band," Siemens said.

Enough said.

When Braden joined three years ago they played as The Kimberlite Pipes for a summer, competing in the Music in the Park competition.

"Back then we styled ourselves as folk-funk fusion," Braden said. "We had some good times but now we're becoming a little more refined, a little more well-seasoned."

There's still some folk and funk going on, McCormick added.

With Braden on piano and vocals, McCormick on guitar, Siemens on upright and electric bass and Harrison on drums, the band played as A Fine Madness last summer, though Siemens missed part of the summer to explore Costa Rica.

They're back this month playing gigs in Yellowknife.

After the summer, Braden will study music composition at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., McCormick will study jazz performance at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Harrison continues in the international baccalaureate program at Lester B. Pearson United World College in Victoria, B.C., and Siemens will study guitar mechanics and construction in Didsbury, Alta.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we get back together in the future," Braden said.

Just in case, check out A Fine Madness tonight and Saturday at Le Frolic, beginning at 9:30 p.m.