San Francisco-based Baroque ensemble Musica Pacifica, described by the press as "some of the finest baroque musicians in America" (American Record Guide) and "among the best in the world" (Alte Musik Aktuell), unveils their newest recorded and live touring project, Dancing in the Isles, which highlights Baroque and traditional music from England, Scotland, and Ireland. This recording features the illustrious talents of sought-after early music players Judith Linsenberg, recorder and whistle; Elizabeth Blumenstock and Robert Mealy, baroque violins; David Morris, baroque 'cello, and viola da gamba; Charles Sherman, harpsichord; Charles Weaver, theorbo and baroque guitar; and Peter Maund, percussion. A merry detour for a group whose previous recordings have focused on Baroque giants such as Bach, Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Telemann, the music on this CD reflects the variety of crosscurrents that made the musical culture of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Great Britain such a rich and diverse one. At that time, a vivid range of musical styles included Scots and Irish tunes which appealed to the sophisticated London audiences as an emblem of their native culture; centuries-old Irish and Scottish culture was being preserved in the rural villages of the rugged hinterlands, where Celtic languages are spoken to this day. With compositions by James Oswald, Matthew Locke, Nicola Matteis, Francesco Veracini, and Henry Purcell, Dancing in the Isles also includes English country dances arranged by Musica Pacifica as well as traditional Scots and Irish tunes arranged by core ensemble member Elizabeth Blumenstock.