JAZZ REVIEW : THE SULLIVAN SOUND FILLS CINEGRILL

Grammys may elude Maxine Sullivan (another one got away Tuesday after her third nomination in five years), but there are still milestones to watch for.

Next August will mark the 50th anniversary of the recording of her first hit, “Loch Lomond.” Meanwhile, at a silver-topped 75, weighing not much more than a pound for each of those years, she seems to be hardly slowed down at all, as was demonstrated Wednesday at the Roosevelt Hotel’s Cinegrill.

True, there were problems on this opening night. She was still shaking off her cold, and at times her accompanist seemed to be shaking her off, by running away with the tempo. “Surprise Party,” her perennial first number, never did settle into a groove.

Even under these less than perfect circumstances, the Sullivan sound remains one of those immutable wonders in which simplicity, understatement and a lightweight sound that matches her dimensions have always been the bench marks. Tilting her head up slightly, stirring the air gently with her left hand, she brings to each song a sense of security that tells you how little she needs to change a phrase in giving it her personal imprimatur.

The idea of stumping the audience by singing little known verses to well known songs is a good one, but after trying this with just one number (“I’m Crazy ‘Bout My Baby”) she gave it up. Why not include the attractive, seldom heard verse to “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ”?

The trio, with Gildo Mahones on piano, James Leary on bass and Mel Lee on drums, just didn’t quite have it together, suffering perhaps from that well-known nightclub condition known as first-set fever. By the time the second show was under way, with Sullivan picking choice selections from some of her countless albums, conditions had already begun to improve.

When things are not going right, it takes a little more effort to sound effortless. Sullivan, always the trouper, undoubtedly will be in total control before she closes Saturday.