William Kennedy's latest novel is both interesting and peculiar, interesting in large measure because it is peculiar. Kennedy is best known for the novels he has written set in his hometown of Albany, N.Y., and, sure enough, Changó's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes starts off in Albany in 1936, when 8-year-old Daniel Quinn wakes up in the middle of the night to find Bing Crosby jamming downstairs for Daniel's father and some of his many acquaintances.