Will Quintrell

William Herman Quintrell (27 June 1880 in Moonta, South Australia – 13 August 1946 in Sydney, New South Wales) was an Australian jazz band leader, pianist, and conductor, active during the early 20th century.

Career Quintrell's father was a musician in South Australia, and formed a concert group with his eight children. Will Quintrell studied music and then left Australia to tour with Maurice Bandmann. After he returned to Australia, in 1911 he became music director at the Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide. Three years later, he had moved interstate to work as conductor for the Tivoli, Melbourne, and then the Tivoli theatre, Sydney in 1915. At the same time, his brother Fred Quintrell was also a conductor in New York.

In August 1919 Will Quintrell married pantomime artist and musician Esmee Ellen McLennan. They toured the Tivoli circuit over five months, led by Quintrell, including a show in Brisbane. In 1926, Quintrell led a new band called the Royal Spanish Syncopators, also at the Sydney Tivoli.

Tom Katz Saxophone Band, 3LO, and 'Breeze' (1928)

At the beginning of 1928, Quintrell formed the Tom Katz Saxophone Band, a Blackface music group who toured Australia, New Zealand, and England, and recorded music for Columbia. He also formed a new orchestra for the radio station 3LO, specialising in classical music, and another specialising in jazz.

Quintrell also arranged and recorded a version of the song 'Breeze' for Columbia in New Zealand. By May 1928, it had sold approximately 8,000 copies in New Zealand, and sold over 21,000 copies. and revived the Royal Squadron Syncopators for a series of seasons at Hoyts' Regent theatres in Brisbane (1940–1942) and Sydney (1943–1944). Mrs Quintrell died in 1949.

His archive is held by the Australian Performing Arts Collection.