I agree that recorders can't really hack it with most players and most traditional music from England and Ireland at least. I've got a (borrowed) recent EFDSS CD in conjunction with a local attempt at maypole dancing. In my opinion, the recorder (and Boehm flute) playing on this is typical of what I have heard, and sounds so stiff compared with the free playing that even most bad whistle players achieve.

Baroque and early music players are often (but not always) wonderful, but they tend to be professionals and well beyond the normal level achieved by us scalies. The Palladian Ensemble are a fine example of this- including some lovely Geminiani arrangements of Scottish folk tunes.