Benjamin Petit is a French saxophonist, composer, and airline pilot for Air France a rare and fascinating dual career that fuels his singular artistic vision. After years performing as a sideman in both the jazz and pop worlds, with collaborations ranging from Michel Jonasz to Lionel Richie, Benjamin now takes center stage as a solo artist.

His new album, Requiem for a Nomad King, is a rich and cinematic jazz project inspired by the myth of Sindbad the Sailor a tribute to the nomadic spirit and to the endless quest for discovery. Accompanied by a world-class ensemble featuring Julia Perminova (piano), Raphaël Pannier (drums), Jérémy Bruyère (double bass), Sylvain Gontard (trumpet), and Lynn Adib (vocals), he crafts a modern jazz sound that’s both accessible and refined, weaving together lyrical intensity, cultural echoes, and rhythmic elegance.

Flying across continents as a commercial pilot, Benjamin Petit draws constant inspiration from the cultures, landscapes, and people he encounters. His music reflects this sense of movement and exploration. Each composition is infused with textures and rhythms gathered around the globe from Paris to Tokyo, from Middle Eastern motifs to Western harmonies.

As both a musician and aviator, he embodies a rare blend of discipline, sensitivity, and bold improvisation. His saxophone sometimes soaring, sometimes intimate  carries the stories of a traveler, evoking freedom, longing, and the poetry of the skies.

With Requiem for a Nomad King, Benjamin Petit delivers a deeply personal and universal work: a musical odyssey that connects inner landscapes with global horizons. It marks not only a creative takeoff, but also the emergence of a unique voice in contemporary jazz elegant, adventurous, and profoundly human.