The screening I saw of this documentary about the life and work of guitarist and band leader Carols Santana opened with a somewhat apologetic interview with the director and Carlos Santana himself. Santana defiantly said this was the first documentary he’d taken part in because he had absolute control over its making. And it showed.

There were glossed-over moments, that – as a journalist – I would have wanted to explore further. He acknowledged the shifting make up of his band, but no band members were interviewed. The shadow of his mother hung long over the piece and was never fully addressed. A “darkness” in his childhood was never really unpacked. His first marriage was over in a sentence.

But once you acknowledge the limitations of the film, it’s a great watch. It conjures up the sixties rock scene and the teenage chancer that Carlos was – and how he crept into the club The Fillmore, where the impresario Bill Graham gave him his first break. The director, Rudy Valdez, weaves together his first hand account with archive footage. One of the joys of this documentary is watching self-recorded home videos, late at night, creating a piece of musical magic out of the ether.

Valdez takes you through the long and winding career of a genuine musical talent, how he created a new and exciting sound in the 70s, and how he refused to retire – coming back with the multi-award winning album ‘Supernatural’ in the late 90s. But the backbone of the piece is Santana’s unique personal philosophy, forged from Mexican catholicism and matured in the decade when he followed a spiritual guru. It’s a mixture of single-minded self-belief, and a divine calling to create. It is fascinating and empowering, if slightly fevered at points.

If two hours of great music, with astonishing footage of Santana’s guitar work, isn’t enough for you, then this glimpse into the mind of this creative free spirit will get you the rest of the way. You’ll skip out of the cinema with a bit of that Santana magic in your soul.