Criss Cross was established in 1981 in Enschede, Netherlands by Gerry Teekens, a professional drummer and linguistics professor.

[1] Teekens founded the label after organizing tours for jazz musicians such as Jimmy Raney and Warne Marsh.

Early issues included Raney and Marsh, Chet Baker, Pete Christlieb, Stan Getz, Tom Harrell, and Clifford Jordan.

[2] Teekens retired from his position as a professor to work full time on Criss Cross in 1991.

[3] Teekens focused on giving talented but underrecorded jazz musicians "considerable artistic freedom", and was also known for introducing musicians as band leaders for the first time, such as Mark Turner, Seamus Blake, and Peter Bernstein.