Maestro Curtis doesn’t boast about his resume at all on the website for The Curtis Family Cnotes, the band he founded in San Francisco with his wife Nola and their children Phoenix, Kiki, Isis, Nile and Zahara.

But we spotted a framed Gold record on his wall in a photo, did some research and learned that he earned it for an album with a group called Xpression that was executive produced by his musical mentor: the late Earth, Wind and Fire founder Maurice White. An accomplished piano player—and multi-instrumentalist, like his children—Maestro Curtis has the distinction of being the youngest pianist in the Count Basie Orchestra, has played with the O’Jays, Thelma Houston, George Benson and more, and is well-known as a sound healer.

Maybe that’s why the C-notes just sound and feel so good—and unlike anything else in the City. We first heard their theme song for Mother Brown’s Dining Room and have been captivated ever since.

…Their weekly Facebook and Instagram live-streaming sessions, which take place on Mondays [at] 7:30pm [PST], include original songs and uplifting covers of soulful bands like San Francisco icons: Sly and the Family Stone and Journey.

The show, hosted by this news organization as a part of our “Standard Salon” event series, kicked off with a lively introduction from Mayor London Breed, who praised the band (and family) leaders, Maestro and Nola Curtis for their musical talent and dedication to their children and the community.

The C-Notes love their city (they live and rehearse at their home in the Bayview)—and judging by the enthusiastic crowd that gathered yesterday to watch them perform cuts from their brand new full-length album—their city loves them.

For years, Curtis and his family — his wife, Nola, and five children, Zahara, Nile, Isis, Kiki and Phoenix — have entertained the Bay Area as the locally renowned band The Curtis Family C-notes, mesmerizing audiences with a wholesome, genre-bending sound of jazz, blues, funk, R&B, folk and gospel music.

And now, they’re using their musical talents for good. This Monday, July 27, the family band will take their show on the road (literally) as they team up with Mother Brown’s Dining Room, a San Francisco-based food bank and shelter, to bring food, music and “good vibes” to residents of the Bayview district. As volunteers drive around the district to deliver food, the Curtis family will tag along in their own vehicle, transforming neighborhoods into an impromptu stage.

“We will be handing out food and singing to brighten and lighten their load,” said Curtis. “This is music for the people, food for the people.”

With the pandemic surging, a worsening economic downturn and expanded unemployment benefits set to end soon, the demand for food support has never been greater. Since shelter-in-place orders were announced, Mother Brown’s has delivered around 400 boxes of food each week to residents in the Bayview district, including seniors stuck at home and the homeless community. And with one of the highest homeless populations in the city, the crisis is only growing more dire in the district, the organization’s CEO, Gwendolyn Westbrook, explained.

“The needs here are very high in this community,” said Westbrook, adding that the hunger crisis was already getting worse before the pandemic arrived. “We have youth homeless, adult homeless, people living in the streets [who can’t feed themselves].”

The Curtis family are no strangers to community service, having previously performed for Mother Brown’s in 2019. Shelter-in-place hasn’t stopped them from giving back: Every Monday night at 7 p.m., San Francisco’s “First Family of Song” has performed via Facebook Live, playing a mix of original and cover songs, and providing a much-needed musical respite for viewers around the world.

“Music is so very, very important to our existence. Even the birds sing,” said Curtis. “Music is just as important as it is to breathe, as it is to have food for nourishment. We need to have our spirits nourished.”