The first Total Music Meeting took place on November 7-10, 1968 at the Quartier von Quasimodo in Berlin. The TMM, conceived as an alternative to the Berliner Jazztage usually held at the more formal Philharmonie, was organized by the musicians themselves, including Brötzmann, Kowald, Hampel, Alexander von Schlippenbach, and Jost Gebers. Apparently "Peter Brötzmann and his Free Big Band" were booked for the 1968 Jazztage, but Brötzmann refused to comply with the Philharmonie dress code, and he was replaced by Don Cherry's Big Band, which performed Cherry's "Eternal Rhythm" on the evening of November 9.

Here Hampel's Time is Now Group is joined by Sonny Sharrock and Pharoah Sanders (the latter does not play on the first title). Also booked at this TMM were Peter Brötzmann's Nonet with Manfred Schoof (tpt), Paul Rutherford (tb), Brötzmann, Evan Parker, and Willem Breuker (ts), Fred Van Hove (p), Buschi Niebergall and Peter Kowald (b), and Han Bennink (d); the Globe Unity Orchestra; the Donata Höfer Group with Höfer (p, vln), Jost Gebers (b), and Manfred Kussatz (d); the Manfred Schoof Quintet with Schoof (tpt, flh), Michel Pilz (bcl), Alexander Von Schlippenbach (p), Buschi Niebergall (b), and John Stevens (d); and the Spontaneous Music Ensemble with Stevens, Trevor Watts (as, fl), and Maggie and Carol-Ann Nichols (voc). Musicians from one group joined other groups on some performances -- everything must have been quite fluid.