The Longest Walk (2022, NR)

Screening followed by a conversation with the film’s director Vohn Regensburger; Terry Gentry, History Colorado; and Charleszine Nelson, Five Points historian.

Join us for a special screening of a documentary celebrating the life and work of the “Jackie Robinson of Classical Music.” In 1949, Charles Burrell (1921-2025) became the first person of color to play with a major symphony orchestra in the U.S. With the exception of six years with the San Francisco Symphony, Charlie spent the entirety of his career in Denver, retiring from the Colorado Symphony in 1999. Not limited to classical music, he also ascended to the highest levels of jazz playing in some of Denver’s most hallowed Five Points venues with such legends as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and more.

Terri Gentry is a 3rd generation Denverite. She is married to Dwight Gentry, with 4 children and 9 grandchildren. She attended Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design, in Interior Design. She is a business owner of A Terrific Design, LLC. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in African/African American Studies from Metro State College (University) of Denver, and a Master’s Degree in Humanities, focus in Public History and Museum Studies, from the University of Colorado Denver.  She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Aurora, CO chapter. Terri recently began working at History Colorado, as Engagement Manager for Black Communities. Terri is a Volunteer Docent and on the board of directors at the Black American West Museum & Heritage Center. She conducts museum tours, the Five Points Walking Tour, and facilitates presentations about Black Americans in the West, and other topics to schools, community and government agencies, and businesses throughout the Denver Metro area, and Front Range communities.

Born and raised in Denver, Charleszine “Terry” Nelson is a highly respected local expert on the Five Points District. Terry passionately shares the rich culture and stories of the corridor and is regularly sought out by local and national historians, institutions of education at all levels, and the media to share the colorful history of the Five Points District. She sits as an advisor and organizational program contributor on numerous, local, national and international boards and committees, including the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission; Denver Center for the Performing Arts African American Advisory Council; the Colorado Historical Society’s African American Advisory Council; The American Library Association; the American Association of University Women; Denver Chamber of Commerce, Education Committee; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated International Archive Committee, and Minouri Yasui Volunteer Service Award Committee (Archives Committee). In her some 30 some years with the Denver Public Library she served as Bookmobile Librarian, Manager of the Library Film Center, Reference and Humanities Librarian, Manager of Volunteer Services for the Denver Public Library, and in 2003 became the Denver Public Library’s first female African American Manager of Special Collection and Community Resources Development at Colorado’s Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library. She has co-authored and contributed to numerous journals, manuals, books and films related to the history of Five Points and African American community members in the west. Terry was granted an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the Denver Institute of Urban Studies, in 2016. Most recently she has been awarded the Jazz Journalist Association 2018 Jazz Hero Winner for the state of Colorado, Historic Denver’s Molly Brown Preservationist Award for 2018, and recognition as a Pioneer in field of historic documentation and archival processes, by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Terry was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master’s degree in Information Technology and Library Science from Emporia State University.

VohnErik Regensburger is guitarist, composer, arranger and conductor specializing in Brazilian music, orchestral film soundtracks and solo nylon string guitar. Performance highlights include: Dazzle, Telluride Jazz Festival, Winter Park Jazz Festival, Estes Park Jazz Fest, City Park Jazz Festival, Durango Jazz Festival, Breckenridge Music Festival, JazzAspen, WestCliffe Jazz Festival, Muse, La Cour, Taste of Colorado, The Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver Art Museum “Top of the Week” series, Jazz Works and The Brazilian Hour from Los Angeles. Vohn has received critical acclaim for his original compositions and recordings which include: In a Brazilian Mood, Tropical Breeze, Table For Two, Kaleidoscope and the feature film soundtracks, Last of the Romantics, A Remarkable Life, the documentaries, A Century of Change and The Longest Walk – The Charles Burrell Story. Vohn directed the feature-length Documentary film about the life of famed bassist Charles Burrell titled, The Longest Walk, distributed by Cobalt Entertainment and PBS. In addition, he has written and directed two award-winning feature films, Last of the Romantics, distributed by Shoreline Entertainment and, A Remarkable Life, distributed by Green Apple Entertainment. Awards include: New York Int’l Independent Film Festival Winner: Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actress; Hollywood HD Film Festival Winner: Best Romance Feature Film, Nominated Best Picture and Best Actor; Park City Film Music Festival Winner: Silver Medal for Artistic Excellence; Long Beach Indie Film Festival Finalist: Best Feature Film; Cinema On The Bayou Finalist: Best Feature Film. Vohn is the Owner of Magnum Opus Music record company since 1992 and Gymnopedie Films, a film production company since 2003.