From left to right: “Femme Assise” by Alberto Giacometti, 1956, “Femme assise (Annette)” by Alberto Giacometti, 1956.

Art meets jazz at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (a Knight Arts grantee) this Friday at 6 p.m. The concert, “Existentialism of Jazz,” will feature music from the free Jazz Movement as pioneered by Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy. Held in the lobby of the Bechtler, tickets are free for members and $12 for non-members with a cash bar available.

“Existentialism of Jazz” will be performed by the Ziad Jazz Quartet now performing its third season of Jazz at the Bechtler. The Quartet consists of Noel Freidline on piano, Ron Brendle on acoustic bass, Rick Dior on drums and saxophonist Ziad Rabie. Song highlights in Friday’s concert include “Invisible” from Coleman’s 1958 album “Something Else!!!” and “Tunji” from Coltrane’s 1962 album Coltrane.

The free jazz movement developed over the course of the 1950s and ’60s as jazz musicians began to abandon song structure and technique to experiment with free-form sounds. Coleman called this new sound concept “harmolodics,” and he released a prolific number of albums during this period.

Importantly, “Existentialism of Jazz” connects with the Bechtler’s current exhibition “Giacometti: Memory and Presence,” giving visitors a chance to experience the relationship between music and art of the same period. Giacometti was very much influenced by the Existentialist movement particularly through his relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre. He obsessively sought to capture the authenticity of a person and was concerned with conveying actual experience.

The Bechtler galleries will be open during the concert, so don’t miss this great opportunity to experience free jazz and Giacometti all in one evening.

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art: 420 South Tryon St., Charlotte; www.bechtler.org. Tickets are available online or by calling 704-353-9200. Hours: Mon., 10-5 p.m.; Tues., closed; Wed.-Sat., 10-5 p.m.; Sun., 12-5 p.m.