Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was born in 1925 and died in 1988. In his time he became one of the jazz world's leading saxophonists, right up there with Bud Powell and Charlie Parker. As a black musician, he did the most sensible thing at a key point in his career. He escaped America, and spent 14 fruitful years in Denmark, where a man's ability counted more than his colour.

The Denmark years are the fulcrum of this film biography, but the events before and after are all absorbing. Dexter's story is told in the main by Dexter himself, filmed in interview over many years. The editing is particularly skilful, as we hear reminiscences from Dexter filmed in his 30s, followed by a different take recorded 30 years later. This intercutting across the ages produces an almost surrealistic effect of splicing and intercutting a life - very bebop indeed.

But the highlights of this documentary are the generous musical takes, presenting Dexter in solo performance, in quartets and, much later in his life, accompanied by a full orchestra in a moving performance of great reflection.

The documentary is very impressionistic. Although it never gets really close to the man, that doesn't matter as it points to the man through his music. This DVD would be a great complement to the remarkable movie by Bertrand Tavernier, Round Midnight, which starred Dexter Gordon. But for jazz lovers, it stands well enough by itself.

This has been compiled from various sources - video from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and film from the 1940s and 1950s. It all works together extremely well; image quality is never less than excellent, even for the oldest historical footage.

There is a discography listing some of Dexter's more than 100 LPs. That's the only extra feature.