the last book I ever read (Cigarette Lighter (Object Lessons) by Jack Pendarvis, excerpt one)

from Cigarette Lighter (Object Lessons) by Jack Pendarvis:

The art teacher’s last name was Kennedy. He played records for his students as they painted. As I held my pose I recognized who was playing, Mingus or somebody. During a break Kennedy and I started talking about the music we liked in common. I remember that he introduced me to the work of clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre.

Kennedy had gotten out of the army, or some branch of the service, and gone to Paris, where he had seen the Modern Jazz Quartet playing in a basement. There was a grouchy guy who turned out to be Miles Davis blocking his view the whole time.