Kash Killion was born In Alton, Illinois, Miles Davis' home town. Kash was raised listening to jazz in the fertile music scene of St. Louis. He was first drawn to clarinet, then voice, flute, electric guitar and electic bass. Kash started performing at age ten. Today he still continues to be a multi-instrumentalist perfecting a multitude of string instruments from all over the world. Through high school he worked in doo-wop, funk, soul, rock and church groups. In 1974, he entered college and studied classical contrabass. Soon he also studied violin and cello. Kash moved to LA in 1976, where he attended City College. Piano giant Horace Tapscott, became Kash's mentor and he played bass in Tapscott's Arkestra. Drummer Billy Higgins was also part of that scene. This association with Tapscott's Arkestra rekindled Kash's vision for straight ahead jazz. Kash has played with straight ahead players like Donald Byrd, George Cables, Billy Higgins, Bobby Hutcherson, James Newton, and Billy Bang. Kash's interest in avantgarde jazz was ignited by Sun Ra in 1978 and further heightened by playing with Pharoah Sanders. In LA, Kash has played bass as his primary instrument, but became more interested in cello when he moved to the Bay area in 1987, he switched almost entirely to cello, because of the freedom to use it in roles as diverse as a horn, or a guitar or a bass. Kash has played extensively in world music circles with such icons as Cecil Taylor, John Zorn, Julius Hemphill, Reggie Workman, Sun Ra, Butch Morris, Paul Murphy, Glen Spearman, Tom Waits, India Cooke and George Lewis. Kash has a deep interest in world music. He has studied with the great Indian musician Ali Akbar Khan and recorded with his orchestra. Kash has also studied sarangi with Sultan Khan. He has also recorded Afrocuban music with several salsa groups. He has composed for both dance troupes and poets including Amiri Baraka, Alice Walker, Quincy Troupe, Shirley LeFlour, Gregory Hines and Jessica Hagdorm. Kash has a BA in composition and performance from Antioch University and has taught through the San Francisco Symphony Program "Every Child Can Learn" , and throughout the Bay area and Los Angeles. He teaches all string instruments: bass, violin, viola, guitar, cello, piano and composition. He also teaches string instruments from India including: Sarangi, Esraj, and Dilaruba. His lecture demonstrations have been given at several Universities. Kash is also a Luthier for bowed instruments and has worked in several violin shops. He works privately on commissioned restoration projects of numerous bowed instruments and Indian instruments.