He played the trumpet with jazz legends such as Count Basie, Horace Silver, and Louie Bellson, Ray Charles; as of 2003, the Burgess Gardner Orchestra performed regularly in Chicago.
At the time of recording and the release of the finished album, Burgess Gardner was working as a Jazz tutor at the California State University, Fullerton.
Music Year 2000 entered the UK's Jazz Fusion Few Chart at Number 1 on 19 April 1983 (Blues and Soul magazine Edition 379), joining the ranks of several acclaimed albums of the day including Lonnie Liston Smith's Dreams of Tomorrow and Earl Klugh's Low Ride.
Shoot Your Best Shot was premiered in the UK as the album's most commercial offering by Robbie Vincent on his Radio London Show in early April when the album was still on pre-release white label promo, with MCA making a decision to put it out on a UK 12" white label promo single backed with Limited Edition.
Jazz Fusion DJs preferred the album's outstanding opener Little Bellflower which remained on many playlists at specialist clubs, bars, and radio programmes for several months.